Mad Max: Road to Salvation: Volume 1 (SEASON 3 IS UP!)
by dmandog056
Summary: (SEASON 2 IS UP) Max and his interceptor are thrust from his dying hellish world into remnant. The road warrior's next journey of violence and madness has begun. How will the unwilling wasteland hero fare in a world that is not his own? How will the people of remnant and its clashing forces react to his brand of violence?
1. Soul of a man

Mad Max: Road to salvation

Episode 1: Soul of a man

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"This tale I tell you is of a man who rose from what remains of his world. Morality, justice, mercy, in that dying world they didn't exist anymore. Hope was dead and glory was lost, consumed by everything that surrounds him. In previous times, the people were taught it took a hero to change things. They never got a hero, they got him, a man called Max. Now the road warrior shall once again be set on a path of change and violence. I pity those who dare to cross his furious path…" a wise mystic said as he disappeared in a plume of dust.

The scene opens to a vast wind-tossed wasteland of rock and sand that stretched as far as the eye could see. On a hill overlooking the expanse of nothingness, was a man clad in a suit of tough black leather gear with armored plates attached and a metal brace on his left leg. Behind this man was his prized possession, his car. Though his first had been said to be the last V8, there were others out there including his newest vehicle. By what would appear as divine intervention, Max had discovered one last abandoned MFP garage buried in the dunes and found another version of his beloved interceptor waiting to be set free. Three times he'd lost his car, the one time it was successfully retrieved, it perished a short time after in his latest endeavor. The man sat there staring at the vast emptiness as if he was waiting for a sign or perhaps even an end to his madness. He wondered who was crazier, him or everyone else?

He had a chance to put down roots with Furiosa and the others at the citadel but he chose to wander as he always had. Max could hear the voices clawing at the back of his mind again. Glory haunted him once more, his failure to protect her and her mother Hope from Scrotus ate away at him. Max had avenged them, but it had cost him the magnum opus and his loyal companion chum-bucket. Max regretted it but there was no use in self-pity. In this world of madness, only the strong, ruthless, or deranged can survive. There were those he respected like the old pirate gut-gash, even Jeet held some weight in his mind. Pink-eye had also made her impression on him, she refused to stand back and let her children die at the hands of Scrotus and his lapdog Stank-gum.

Max was the tool of their vengeance against the warlord and his war-boy horde. Furiosa and the others from the war-rig were safe at least, that brought him some semblance of comfort. The world had three less tyrants with the demise of Immortan Joe and his sons. Max sighed to himself, for a moment he had close to remembering what peace felt like. The dog he was now traveling with howled for him to return to the car. Max was pleased to have the company of one of the world's few remaining canines once more. The dog that once served Scrotus and had been left for dead proved a truly loyal ally to Max. As he walked back to the car he briefly thought of Griffa the mystic, it had been some time since Max had seen him. It didn't matter now anymore, nothing was standing between him and the plains of silence.

Max primed the engine of his newest interceptor and Dinki-di sat at his side. Max stomped on the gas and sped off down the dirt road towards the horizon. Max saw some roadkill moving in to try and take him down, business as usual. He t-boned one buggy and used his shotgun to nail the driver. A buggy was trying to blindside him with a t-bone. Max braked hard and drifted out of the way, he managed to pull a 180 and shot the driver in the face. Max reloaded his trusty double barrel shotgun and used the nitrous to leave his opponents in the dust.

The remaining roadkill tried to keep up, but the interceptor lived up to its name and Max evaded the Roadkill attackers. He fired another shell into an exposed fuel tank, killing the slower roadkill truck. A roadkill muscle car caught up using its own nitrous and tried to rear end Max. He swerved to the side, slowed down and slammed into the side of the Roadkill heavy vehicle. The driver jumped onto the Interceptor's hood and Max fired one more shotgun shell, thus ending his brief tussle with the roadkill pests. A massive storm began to brew on the horizon and the crack of thunder boomed from its direction. Max could not turn back at this point, on the other side of this storm was the fabled plains of silence. The place where Max believed he could finally find solace.

The storm sent raging bolts of lightning at the nimble interceptor on the ground. Max paid it no mind and drove on, powering through what seemed like god's wrath. He had come too far for this end in failure, no. the plains of silence were before him now, no one would stop the road warrior on his quest to finally ease his own suffering. He had braved storms such as his one with chum bucket at his side during his time in wastes surrounding gas-town. Max kicked on the nitrous as if in defiance of the twisted force of nature that tried to overpower his vehicle. Max pulled a bandanna and goggle over his face to shield himself from the sandstorm. The interceptor's big chief V8 roared proudly as it drove through the hellish storm that churned the desert sands. Max focused on the road ahead kept the pedal to the floor, not even flinching as the bolts of lightning struck again and nearly hit the car. An old ramp lay ahead, it was what remained of a big rig trailer. Max hit the jump and blasted the nitro taking to air.

He touched down on all four wheels and found the remains of a freeway bridge. Max took to the black top and tore up the pavement as the interceptor was back on solid pavement. He drifted into a tight corner knocking some old sheet metal out of the way in the process. The storm then threw an old car body at Max and swerved out of the way and started to fishtail from the jerky movements. Another car body came at him and slammed into the interceptor, knocking it off of the road way. A large ramp appeared at the bottom and Max landed on it and was seemingly spared a harsh fate. But it seemed that fate was not without irony as a storm column appeared in front of max's interceptor. The road warrior sped into it without a second thought, challenging fate to what may be his last dance with death.

Just he was about to be torn apart by the maelstrom a large bolt of lightning struck the car and it was pulled into the center of tornado rather being destroyed by it. Max and his dog were being tossed around in the car like ragdolls. They held on for dear life and were catching glimpses of various other objects that had been swallowed up by the storm. The interceptor's engine roared again like a caged beast. Max gritted his teeth and held on to the dog and the roof. Then a short bright glimpse of light appeared and he shot through it into the what he believed to be freedom and his final step to peace. The vehicle landed on all four wheels without suffering any serious damage. Max opened his eyes and pulled himself up to the steering wheel.

-CLIFFHANGER-


	2. Blizzard of Claws

Mad Max: Road to Salvation

Episode 2: Blizzard of claws

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A/N: HOLY CRAP! This many reviews in a short time?! I must be doin' something right!

[Guest 1: You better believe its good!]

[Guest 2: Oh I am going to keep on trucking with this!]

[SilentType 1997: I'm not discouraged, in fact its quite the opposite. This is one of the best review turnouts I've had for a first chapter!]

[Mad Max Fan: Glad you're liking it!]

[Cloneguy: You are awaited in Valhalla!]

[Engineer2172: I hope you enjoy the ride.]

[SilentXD7: Thank you, I'll do my best to make this even more interesting!]

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Max hauled himself up to the steering wheel and shook his head. He glanced over to his dog and saw that his canine companion was just fine. He then took a look at the environment around him and gawked. Green, the area around him was green! Trees, plants, birds, it was all here. The wasteland wanderer shook his head again trying to see if it was just his mind playing tricks on him, it wasn't. his instincts kicked in and he focused on his new objective: find out just where he is. He turned the ignition key and started the interceptor, causing the big chief V8 to roar to life. Max inspected the petrol gauge and saw that the tanks were still near full from his preparation to cross the plains of silence.

There was a clear road through the woods ahead of him. Max stomped on the gas pedal and blasted off down the road like a bat out of hell. He saw something ahead of him, he couldn't quite make it out though. The features on it were canid or lupin in nature, of that much he was certain. But how could that be? Wolves in his world wolves had been extinct for a very long time as far as he knew. This further fueled his decision to figure out where he was.

The beast became more defined as he drew closer to it revealing a pair of red eyes and a white mask of bone, he gunned the motor and engaged the nitrous. When you see a deer in the headlights, you speed up. The beast took up an aggressive stance and howled. The interceptor plowed over the creature with black blood spewing all over the hood of the car. Other creatures heard their fallen kin's howl and tried following the vehicle through the woods. Max saw some turns ahead and slowed down to avoid crashing. The beasts of the woods tried getting in his way, only for him plow right through them. Max drifted around another corner and went downhill. He saw a large bear creature at the bottom of the slope, this creature was far too large to run down even for the interceptor. He considered using his trusty shotgun, but this beast was armored in what would normally be any creature's weak spot. He knew it would be suicide to fight this thing and the other beasts head on, the only option was to run.

The road warrior just barely swerved out of the way of the lumbering bear beast and rolled on down the road. The other creatures followed him organizing into a large horde. Max gritted his teeth and the dog barked in agreement. The saw a ramp shaped rock directly ahead, a perfect jump. Max engaged the nitrous and took to the sky for a brief before landing on all four wheels and spinning out. Max stopped for a moment to see if he'd lost the horde of dark creatures, but the dust cloud was keeping him from seeing anything. Then as the veil dust lifted a large bear beast appear along with another horde of beasts. They surrounded the car and max tried to re-fire the engine but it refused to start. Max looked at his ammo belt and then at the largest creature. The beast looked him in the eyes as if it were challenging him to a one on one fight.

Max answered the challenge of the beast, stepping out of his car with the dog right behind him. Max hauled out a thunder stick and a machete from the compartment behind the seats. He stowed the machete on his back and prepared to throw the thunder stick. The beast roared loudly and quickly charged at the steely eyed Max. He dodged the claw of the charging monster and nailed its back with the well-aimed thunder stick, causing it to roar in pain. The beast swung around and charged again determined to kill the resilient human. Max was no stranger to fighting giant opponents, and waited for the lumbering black beast to strike. It swung a massive claw at him and he rolled under it, drew his shotgun. After emptying both barrels into the creature's belly, Max rose once more and reloaded.

The bear beast stood on its hind legs and roared again. Max looked the beast dead in its eyes and swung his fist signaling 'come at me!' The creature got back on all fours and ran at him again only this time it tried biting the surprisingly nimble human. Max saw an opportunity to strike another big hit and rolled under the beast's head. He pointed shotgun at the underside of the bear creature's jaw and fired both barrels again. This blew a hole clean through the creature's head causing it to sound off one more roar before dying. Max dove out from under the beast and stood up dusting himself off. The other creatures sounded their respective calls for the human's blood from the death of their leader and swarmed at Max. He brought his fists up and the dog joined in on the battle snarling at its own opponents as well.

The man reloaded his shotgun and hit one creature square in its armored face. Max cracked the skull mask, which dizzied the wolf beast. He brought out a shiv and brutally stabbed it in the neck. Another beast charged in to try and kill Max, but the dog ran to the aid of its master. Dinki-di jumped on the larger creature's back and began tearing into it. the dog kept at it, managing to bite into the wolf creature's spine and break it. The wolf creature died and the dog jumped off to fight another creature. Dinki-di was proving to quite formidable in battle, showing exactly why it had once been the pet of warlord Scrotus.

More wolf creatures ran at Max from multiple angles. He pointed his shotgun in the direction of several and knocked them back with both barrels of fire power. He then rolled out of the way of several claw strikes and bites. Dinki-di ran over to the car and pulled out max's second shotgun, the jury rigged over-under double barrel pipe shotgun from his Gastown troubles. The dog masterfully avoided the biting jaws and slashing claws of the other canid creatures as it made its way to Max. it threw the second shotgun to it master who snatched it from the air, dual wielding the two tools of destruction. Max now had 4 barrels for his troubles and blasted them at the creatures directly in front of him. He holstered and quickly reloaded both guns for another four-shell blast.

The creatures organized themselves and began attacking him using teamwork like real wolves. Max gritted his teeth and fired one shell from the sawed-off in his right hand while firing another from the pipe shotgun in his left hand. The beasts were craftier by the moment and Max knew he was running out of both time and munitions. Dink-di stayed by Max's side and the two of them continued their epic battle against the dark creatures. One creature charged at max's front while another hit from behind and knocked him to the ground. Max felt a pain in his side, it felt like the impact had cracked something. He shrugged it off and rolled out of the way of the other beast's attacks.

Max pulled himself to his feet and ran back into the fight to save his dog. The poor animal was getting overwhelmed by the swarming pack of larger beasts. The fierce and fiery canine refused to die a pathetic death and kept on nimbly avoiding their strikes. Max arrived and began blasting at the creatures again with his shotguns. Max had begun to lose his temper and put his shotguns away. He then let himself get furious and began using his fists to deal out pain to the beasts. He smacked one of the creatures hard enough to dizzy it, grabbed it by the neck and snapped it.

He punched another one so hard he knocked out its teeth making it howl in agony. He sidestepped the next beast and charged into its side. Max heard the snap of bones and levied a heavy blow to the creature's belly, killing it. He had begun a furiously violent rampage and started really slaughtering them one by one. The numbers of the once seemingly endless monsters had thinned out and Max had begun to show his fatigue. Eventually he and his dog managed to kill all of them with the last one simply collapsing from the lethal weapons that are Max's fists of fury.

Max and his dog were bruised and bloody from the battle against another twisted force of nature. Max walked to his car and checked the engine for the cause of the stall. A simple fix here and there, the interceptor was ready to go once more. Max and his dog hopped in to the car to drive on to their next destination. Max had a drink of water from his canteen and fired up the engine. The road warrior tightened his grip on the wheel as he took off again into the forest. He looked up briefly to the sky and saw smoke rising from the distance ahead.

"Smoke like that means something's wrong." Max said as he drove towards the black smoke that came from that direction.

"Woof!" The dog barked in agreement.

They drove on and saw a sign that read 'Riverdale-junction'. Max figured it must be the name of a nearby town. On instinct he put the pedal to the floor, the interceptor's engine roared loudly as if it were also agreeing with the urgency of the situation. They passed by what appeared to be ruined lookout towers, probably for sniping or early warnings from Max's best guess. A bridge was coming up and max saw bodies that had been torn apart. The bridge was badly damaged but still stable enough for the interceptor to cross over the small gorge. He could hear the sounds of death and destruction growing closer as he drove. The red glow of large fires was also becoming evident from what he could see, which was probably coming from burning buildings and bodies.

After another few minutes of driving Max could see the town directly ahead and he engaged the nitrous. He saw several men ahead of him, looting bodies. They were bandits, a large and well-organized group of them. He saw turn and look right at the vehicle, they raised their weapons and fired on the interceptor. Max ducked down and avoided getting shot by the well-armed bandits. They kept firing until they ran out of ammo and Max knew just what to do. He rose up and drove straight ahead, running over them with some blood spattering on the hood.

Max reached the center of town and saw the bandits battling against the surviving townsfolk. The engine's loud roar acted as a signal and some of the bandits looked in his direction. The townsfolk were also getting a good view of the worn looking but still mighty, black vehicle. Max skidded to a halt and hopped out again, he cracked his neck and knuckles, Dinki-di also hopped out again. The inseparable duo of hound and master stood their ground outside the car as the bandits rushed them thinking Max was just easy prey. They did not know of him, and did not fear him. Oh, how wrong they were to not fear this feral man. Max slammed his fist into the face of one that tried to fight him head on, another came at him with a sword. Max parried the sword strike with his machete, and sliced off the man's hand. Max heard a shatter come from these men when he did so, like glass being broken. He grabbed another man's arm and broke it, causing the man to cry out in sheer agony. Max then snapped his neck and threw the body at the others. Max charged them, slamming his knuckle dusters into the throat of another bandit. The man was choking violently as max brought one of his sawed-offs to the man's gut and fired both barrels. He died, and Max rolled out of the way another few bandits as they tried to strike him down.

The road warrior was about to be fired on by a bandit who was going to use his rifle. Dinki-di ran up and bit the bandit's arm. The proceeded to viciously take down and maul the shooter, ripping his throat out. The dog then went on running around taking down more and more of the bandits one by one. He even fooled a few of them into shooting each other. Max brought out his two shotguns and blasted them at group of enemies in front of him. They all died instantly from the brutal force of the close-range blasts of the two shotguns. Max took cover behind the interceptor and reloaded, he rolled out of cover when he was done and fired one shell from each of his two guns. Max took down another two bandits with the blasts further dwindling their numbers. The others had begun to retreat and called for their leader.

Max saw them doing this and he saw the most peculiar thing, a woman in a bony looking mask who stepped out of a portal wielding a Japanese sword of some kind. Max remembered swords like that from a long time ago in his world. Many who wielded such a blade were said to be skilled in their use. Max pulled out his machete again, and looked straight at the woman. She stared right back as she readied her blade, Max did the same.

-END CHAPTER-


	3. Feral Fury

Mad Max: Road to Salvation

Episode 3: Feral fury

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SilentType 1997: Thanks for the suggestion, and I'm setting the beginning of this 2 years before the events of volume 1.

Mad Max Fan: you guessed it.

blessingpilot4: glad you are.

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the swordswoman charged at him attempting to slice him in half, Max countered with his machete and forced her back. He rolled out of the way another slice and brought his shotguns to bear. He got inside her guard and fired all four barrels, the sheer force knocked her into a crumbling brick wall. She rose again and max was in the middle of reloading his guns. Thinking quickly, max holstered his classic sawed-off and blocked using his lead pipe double barrel.

Max knew she had to have a weakness, and he was going to keep hammering away until he found it. the woman seemed to be growing annoyed from how tough this man was proving to be. He had proved himself formidable, and not afraid to fight dirty to survive, just like herself. Max gritted his teeth and pressed his hardest to keep the struggle from ending in his opponent's favor. The two of them pushed back and forth, with neither side gaining ground. Soon enough the woman broke off and tried to attack him from below. Max reacted and dropped to the ground, he then swiftly fired one of his shotguns and dizzied the woman. He got up and smacked her upside the head with a vicious uppercut. The woman recovered and slashed at him with her sword again, he blocked and retaliated with his own machete. He heard woman as he landed a slash on her arm. Max saw a slight glow from where he cut her, and was both angered and confused at how she seemed to not have taken any damage.

Max was not going to let this woman beat him, he'd come too far to lose. He'd braved the fiercest storms, and the mightiest foes. Nothing will stop him, including this woman. The two fighters circled each other with a heavy scent of oil, fire, and blood in the air. The woman seemed to look straight into Max's eyes, he did the same as they circled the ground. Both of them were masters of combat, Max had face an army of war boys, marauders and warlords. These bandit pukes were mediocre, about as dangerous as lowly war pups or simple roadkill, nothing like the war boy armies of Immortan Joe's gang. Raven Branwen, the fiercest bandit leader in remnant's recent history had slain every soldier and huntsman who'd come after her and her people.

This one feral man was proving to be far stronger, and fiercer than any opponent she'd faced before. Max rammed his fists together and charged her, she retaliated with a downward slash. Max drew his pipe shotgun and used it as a club, slamming it into her side as he passed her by. She spun her slash this time in an effort to cut him down again. He was proving to even better or just as good as her brother. But Qrow hadn't exactly proven to be a ruthless and brutal fighter like this man. Max rolled backwards as he reloaded his shotguns again for another four-barrel blast. Raven was actually trying to slay him as he evaded her constantly, doing her damnedest to keep him from reloading.

Raven kept at it, but Max had apparently figured out that her teleporting was useless at this close range. It was almost as if the man was predicting her moves, she had to end this fight. She knew the man had his guns reloaded and he was very cautious with his expenditure of ammunition. She knew enough to avoid another four-barrel blast, otherwise her aura would go down even further. Max drew his machete and signaled for Raven to come at him. Raven then had an idea and slashed at the ground to create a cover of dust so as to sneak attack the man.

She did so and Max had to rely on his other instincts for this battle since his sight was now compromised. This was a novice strategy, one that he was also familiar with. He drew his shotguns and waited for her to attack. Just as raven appeared behind him, he rolled forward and fired his shotguns as he stood up. This knocked her back against Max's trusted black car, He sprinted towards her, and tossed away her sword while she was down. He then started to brutally lay into her with his knuckle dusters. Each punch was harder than the last, driving down her aura even further. Raven could feel it, she could feel the pain and weakness creeping upon her, she hated it.

His rapid strikes were having the intended result as he continuously slammed his fists into the woman's face and body. He then pulled her off of the car, and threw her to the ground, slamming his foot down on her back. Max heard a crack and a loud grunt of pain come from the woman. Raven was mad now, she had been disarmed and it was her priority to get her weapon back before this man could continue to beat down on her. She used her hands to throw dust into the Max's face and he was blinded by the clump of dirt. Raven reached for her sword and rolled away from the recovering Max. She stood up and menacingly pointed her blade at the man. Max had recovered and furrowed his brow at her, showing the sheer level of absolute seriousness, he bore on his rough face.

Max saw an old pipe on the ground, and grabbed for it as he barely dodged the swift strike from the woman. He held the pipe in his hand as well as his machete in the other. Raven swung at him again, only to have her sword caught between the two melee weapons her opponent bore. Raven gritted her teeth at his tenacity and penchant for violence. Max could see the woman was getting her cage rattled by his refusal to die like all the others she had probably cut down. His face though bore no purchase for raven to analyze, simply remaining serious and unintimidated. He had no fear, or if he did it was clear she was not the object of it. A saying she'd heard once rang in her mind, the only thing more dangerous than one who is desperate, or fearless, is one who has gone mad with nothing left to lose but his own life.

The townsfolk were cheering on their leather armor clad savior from the town hall as they had driven off the other bandits. With each passing moment their praise of the mysterious man grew ever so louder. It was clear to them that a champion had come, some tried to figure out if he was a huntsman but the mayor had managed to confirm that none were nearby, or too busy to hunt down the bandits and their leader. Whoever he was, the people of Riverdale junction were grateful he had come to their aid. The dog howled proudly for its master to continue fighting his opponent. The teenage survivors were even capturing footage of his epically brutal battle against Raven on their scrolls. Some were even equating it to a war rather than a fight. The elders of the village could see it from how he stood, an experienced master of combat.

Raven was getting irritated by the chants and cries of praise for this man that came from the townsfolk. Max blocked it all out, and solely focused on his fight against this bandit woman. As long as she was a threat that was all that mattered. His crafty dog Dinki-di, cooked up an idea in its head, and stealthily made its way closer to the woman. Max ran at the woman again and clashed blades with her. He quickly took his second hand off of the blade and rammed it into the woman's solar plexus. Raven kneeled to breathe as Max door kicked her face, throwing her for a few feet. Raven picked herself up as Max charged in was about to get a lucky strike on him until the dog followed through with its idea.

Dinki-di ran at the woman from behind and bit her leg as she was about to swing the sword. She tried to strike at the brave dog who just barely dodged her sword strike. Max got the distraction he needed and punched the woman in helmet's face plate at full force with his heaviest of haymakers. This knocked her helmet clear off of her head as she flew three feet away from Max. She was stunned on the ground in a daze. Max grabbed her sword, reloaded his standard sawed-off, and brought it to her face as he stomped his foot on her chest. She looked him straight in the eyes from her position on the ground, she Raven Branwen was defeated by man whom was an even stronger survivor than her. It just didn't make sense to her, not one bit. Max stared right back into her crimson eyes with own blue ones and a stoic expression on his hardened face.

For a very tense moment Max simply kept his shotgun trained on the woman's head. He contemplated what to do, normally the decision would be clear but in a strange way, she reminded him of Furiosa. Glory's ghost revealed itself again and forced him to stay his hand from the trigger. He heard hope's voice call to him and he lowered the gun. Max's vision ended and he decided to speak to her.

"If you move, I'll kill you." Max spoke to the woman lying under his boot.

"I want my sword back." She spoke venomously.

"No." Max coldly replied

"It's mine, I will have it back." She hissed.

"No." Max repeated himself.

"I will find you for this, and I will take back what is mine." Raven said with anger.

"You won't, I'll be long gone. The blade will be useful, and without it you pose no threat to me." Max stoically replied.

"Far stronger than you have faced me, yet I lost to you, a weakling. You let me live, yet I'm not weak, only the strong survive." Raven growled.

"I don't care, I have better things to do then waste my time, or the ammunition. I survive because I'm strong, you're weak because you slaughter." Max said bluntly.

"Don't talk down to me." Raven retorted.

"I simply don't care. If you follow me, I will kill you. If you think strength is all that matters… then that's why you lost." Max said as he slammed his shotgun against her head, knocking her out. Just like that, everything had gone black for Raven as she quickly faded into unconsciousness. The townsfolk cheered at their new hero as he walked back to his car, his dog quickly ran to his side. The people then crowded around his vehicle as he honked the horn for them to move. The mayor and the sheriff of the town, along with the remaining deputies approached the car and moved the people back as the mayor went to speak with the mysterious man.

"Sir, wait. You have saved my people, please stay you deserve a reward. It is the least we can do for you saving our village, especially from her. No huntsman has ever stopped Raven Branwen and her bandits before." The mayor said calmly in a tired voice.

"I'm no hero, but I need fuel, and ammo." Max listed his necessities.

"Of course, you have earned it. Do you need food as well?" The mayor offered.

"Sure, we have a deal." Max said as he left the car. He ordered Dinki-di to stay and guard the vehicle. The dog dutifully sat in the passenger seat and barked gleefully at its master's orders. Max followed the mayor to the town's armory and received his supplies. Several children approached the vehicle and were met with growls of warning from the wasteland war dog. One little girl was not discouraged and closed her eyes as she stuck her hand out towards the angry looking dog. Dinki-di was still snarling but then he saw the little girl close her eyes and stick her hand out. He stopped growling and tilted his head curiously at the little girl's gesture. On instinct he stuck his head onto her palm and nuzzled her soft small hand.

The little girl felt something fuzzy under her fingers and looked to see the dog not biting her, and in fact tolerating her presence. She opened her eyes and giggled happily as she scratched the rough and tumble pooch. Dinki-di looked at her and licked her hand playfully. The little girl smiled and scratched the dog behind his ears, making him pant happily. Other kids started to come closer, but the dog quickly began growling again. The little girl still wasn't afraid, and knew that the dog had at least accepted her presence, but that was it. No one else strayed towards the vehicle for fear of the vicious guard dog, and out of despise for the little orphan faunas. It turned out the little girl had a pair of dog ears on her head like Dinki-di's. The dog sat there as the little girl played with him and scratched his neck beneath a collar that Max had found for him in their travels together.

Meanwhile, as the remaining officers tried to restrain the unconscious raven, she started to stir and began thrashing against her captors. Raven knocked out one of them and took off running into the forest, and used her portal ability to escape. She had warped a short distance away to save her remaining strength to track down the man who'd bested her in their battle. She fumed to herself at just how it had been possible, he was deceptively strong for being just some guy with apparently no unlocked aura, or simply very little at all. For a brief moment though, she did think of how he was somewhat ruggedly handsome and perhaps worthy of joining her tribe. She quickly shunted that thought away and questioned what had brought it about but still it persisted. Raven then made her way back to the outskirts of the town to wait. She'd eventually retrieve her weapon from the man who butchered her fellow bandits, and kicked her ass.

Max walked back to the car with a decent sized crate of supplies that the townsfolk could offer, along with a large canister to pump fuel into the tanks. Max received a map to go with it, he made sure not disclose anything that would give away his origins. The Road warrior set his supplies down, and briefly spoke to the sheriff and mayor on directions. The little girl noticed the man retuning but did not want to leave the dog's company or get in trouble. So, she hopped into the car and hid behind the seats waiting for max to load his supplies. He did so and readied himself to start exploring this strange new world. He hopped into the driver's seat and started the engine. The big chief V8 roared with life, and seemed to actually run better from the new liquid fire dust fuel that had been dumped into the tanks and mixed with the remaining petrol. Max put the interceptor in gear and took off down the road, with a little stowaway on board.

-END CHAPTER-


	4. Spare the piston rod

Mad Max: Road to Salvation

Episode 4: Spare the piston rod…

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[Dungeon Wyrm: big thanks for the suggestions man.]

[SilentXD7: you guessed right.]

[Mad Max Fan: in due time he may, it is 2 years before volume 1.]

[Cloneguy: Its possible, whose to say what really happened to the warboys with the death of the Immortans.]

[engineer2172: I aim to please.]

[blessingpilot4: Don't worry I won't be stopping this crazy train, except for more guzzoline!]

* * *

The broken moon shined brightly over the forest, illuminating the path ahead. Max had been driving through the woods on a paved road for a while now, and still had yet to notice the young orphan faunas child hiding in the back seat. She had fallen asleep while letting the smooth ride rock her there with each passing hour. Dinki-di had snuggled next to her to keep her warm, she had her arms tightly wrapped around the war hound she had come to adore. Max had figured that the dog simply wanted to sleep more comfortably, and let it be when it went in to the back seat. Eventually the forest road ended and an old cracked up one leading into the vacuo desert began. Max felt the familiar dry air of the arid plains again and it brought him a strange sense of comfort. The whole time he had no idea that a certain vengeful bandit woman was tailing him from a distance. Desert winds howled and the sands swirled in the normally quiet dunes as the interceptor's V8 roar filled the air.

Max then spotted a light in the distance, he pulled off of the road and out onto the sand. He stopped the car on top of a dune stepped out and pulled out his binoculars for some recon. Max spotted a group of people out there in desert, all of them had bone masks and strange animal features to them. The extra features were quite bizarre to the wasteland wanderer. He shook it off and focused on what they were doing, several people were chained up and being lead onto a platform. The road warrior could see exactly what they were going to do, an execution. He'd seen it many times before during his travels in the wastes of his own world.

He considered what to do at this point from a tactical sense, assisting the chained people could yield rewards, the risk it carried was making more enemies. He did not want a repeat of his mistakes that led to his gas town troubles. But he had crossed a powerful bandit leader, so he already gained one new enemy. As the survivalist pondered his options, a sharpshooter was scanning the perimeter, and spotted the black car and its driver. He called out the alarm to his fellow white fang members and the whole gathering lit up with raised weapons. The sharpshooter then started taking potshots at Max who was quite experienced with dodging sniper fire. He pulled out a hunting rifle he'd been given as part of his reward and used the hood as a stable platform for the shot. Another round whizzed past his head, Max took aim and fired, hitting his target in the head with deadly accuracy.

Max pulled the bolt back and chambered another round. He began sniping at the scurrying enemies on the ground, picking them off one by one. Max had spent a fair amount of time on the hill and caused enough havoc down below to make it easier to go down and finish the job. The little woke with a start from the gunfire and saw max doing his thing. She huddled down and waited for the combat to end. Max hopped back into the interceptor and drove head on into the chaos below. He ran over a group of enemy combatants like bowling pins and one managed to hop top of the hood. Max brought up his sawed-off and fired, blowing the head off of the hitchhiker. The other enemies had re-organized and began firing at him from range. Max ducked his head down, and drove over to the stage area. He was lucky he'd armored the fuel tanks so they wouldn't be vulnerable to gunfire, making him safe from gunfire from his rear. He positioned the interceptor for use as cover and reached in back to pull out the bolt cutters he'd acquired. He then saw the little girl huddled next to Dinki-di. This was not the time for him to deal with that, so he grabbed the cutters and ordered the dog to keep the girl safe. The dog barked in agreement, and Max went on cutting the chains.

Max was hurrying this along as the masked enemies started huddling around the stage area and rushing in to try and take on their human aggressor. Max snapped the last chain and the prisoners took off running into the distance. He didn't blame them, and hopefully they'd come back to reward him when he was done here. Max spotted an opponent coming at him from behind and pulled out his shotguns. He blasted the guy into next Tuesday and reloaded for another four-shell blast. Just as he finished, another one came at him with a mace. Max parried the strike, twisted his enemy's arm took and his weapon. The white fang grunt crapped his pants when he got a clear look at the furious human who stood before him, and took his own weapon.

Max looked the grunt right in eyes and levied a punch to his gut, making him cough up blood. He followed it up with a heavy swing from the mace that sent its former owner into a group of even more enemies. Max charged into them and brutally swung the mace. He snapped the thing in half from how hard he hit the masked enemies. He pulled the sword from his back and started hacking through each one as if they were pieces of clay. He was lucky this thing hadn't cut him when the previous owner used it against him. he put it away, pulled out his shotguns and went on blasting the masked fighters to kingdom come. One four shell blast wiped out a group of attackers that were dumb enough to try and surround him. Max spotted a grenade next to a crate, grabbed it and tossed it into the crowd. It went off and they scattered, giving max the perfect opportunity to hop into his car and run. He did and stomped on the gas, the wheels spun leaving burn out tracks in their wake.

He glanced at the rear view mirrors and saw several desert trucks chasing after him. Max engaged the nitrous, hitting the pavement with a hard turn and skid. He didn't waste any time and hit another nitrous burst to outrun the trucks. They tried to chase after him but when he hit the road, the white fang's desert trucks couldn't keep up. They just watched him pull away down the road into the desert. Max circled back and perched just behind the crest of a dune near the road and his pursuers. He then floored the pedal and slammed head on into the side of the lead truck.

He fired his shotgun into the cab killing the driver. Several grunts who were standing in the bed were unable to take any shots at him. The truck flipped and they appeared to be crushed, but then max didn't see them die. The other trucks swerved and spun out flinging their occupants all over the road. Max ran right over some of them, they barely even acted as speed bumps. He fired his shotgun at the driver of another truck. Blowing his head clean off of his body, Max just kept on going. He drove off, free and clear, no one following him. He had unknowingly just kicked the asses of an entire budding cell of the white fang.

The white fang grunts that were still alive would spread the word of this. He had torn through them and left their whole recruiting/execution operation in shambles. It was clear that whoever he was, they would come after him for this. Max focused on the road and contemplated what to do about the young girl in the back seat with the dog. He glanced back at girl, she was hanging on to the dog who kept licking her face and trying to comfort her. She wore a tattered little black dress, her hair was long and black, and her eyes were blue, her ears looked just like the dog's. Max was irritated that she had snuck into his car but for now he had to put some distance between them and those strange people he'd angered. He kept thinking to himself about the whole ordeal, he knew it was real. He was alive, so was the dog and the girl. That was all that mattered at this point, nothing else. Max decided to ask the girl some questions.

"Who are you, and why are you in my car?" Max demanded as he drove.

"A-Anya, Anya Onyx. I'm sorry, I just started playing with your doggy and he liked me. I thought you would be mad if you caught me, so I hid in here. You are mad, aren't you?" Anya answered max's questions.

"I'm going to find somewhere safe, then you're getting off." Max said stoically.

"Please don't make me leave! I can help!" Anya tried to reason with the man who had saved her village, and by extension her life.

"I'm better off alone." Max's tone didn't change.

"I want to stay with you, please! Out there, people hate me, and hurt me really bad because of my ears! I don't want to be out there, please!" Anya begged him to changed his mind as she clung to the dog.

"You're not safe, even with me. Where's your family? Don't you have a home?" Max asked her, not taking his eyes off of the road.

"Mama and Papa died, I wandered around until a nice man who found me brought me to Riverdale-junction. He disappeared, I think the monsters killed him, and I'm all alone now. Everyone there hates me because I'm different. They all hate the ones who look different like me." Anya explained herself to Max. This struck something within Max's scarred and solitary heart. He failed to protect glory and hope because he ran from them, he was too late because he tried to let them go to save himself. He forced them away when he could have protected them from the warlord. This girl, was she the first step on his path to forgiveness? Was she the 2nd chance he'd been granted? God died in his world, he knew that. But this was a different place, this world hadn't fallen yet. Perhaps here, god was still alive. He wouldn't let it happen again, not this time, this girl's blood would not be on his hands.

"…Can you count?" Max asked Anya with a slightly warmer voice after thinking for a moment.

"Yes, my Papa taught me how, and Mama taught me to read. Papa used to make guns and stuff, he taught me some of that too. He showed me how to fix them and make bullets." Anya told Max what she knew how to do that would be useful.

"There's a bag back there that says ammo on it. Open it up, and count what's inside, then clean and fix the guns as best as you can." Max told her what to do.

"You mean I can stay?!" Anya's eyes lit up with hope.

"Get to it, now." Max ordered to the orphan faunas girl with a forceful tone.

"You got it!" Anya said as she got to work counting the rounds, all of them. She matched each round type with its weapon while Max stuck to the road. He turned the headlights on, and saw a lone dark wolf creature in the road. He ran it over, he just barely caught a glance of it fading into ashes as he drove off. The little Anya smiled and sang a song with her cute little voice as she worked. This softened Max's heart even further, he felt warm again inside, He felt like a father again. One last little thing he noticed, was that her eyes were blue like his own.

Nearby on a hill, a certain mystic grinned to himself as he watched the Road Warrior's vehicle zoom down the desolate road. He thought to himself how it took this little nudge for his friend to live again. Max had taken the next step in crossing the true plains of silence. The wise wasteland mystic then walked away. "You've finally done it wanderer, congratulations." Then a dark figure appeared before him, someone ancient and truly the antithesis of both himself and the god of this world.

"Well, well, Griffa, what a nice surprise." Salem said in mock joy.

"I had expected you Salem, my world has no more need of me for now, so I sought further purpose somewhere else." Griffa explained his reason for being here.

"You shouldn't be here, Griffa." Salem said coldly, her tone changing.

"Yet I am, is that not the true mystery? We all have somewhere to be on the long and never-ending journey that is the struggle of eternity. I am simply serving my purpose in a broader sense." Griffa continued his explanation.

"Leave or be destroyed, I will not warn you again. I shall destroy this world, and you will die with it as your own world did if you choose interfere with my plans." Salem warned the unflinching mystic.

"I am not here to interfere, merely to observe. You are another matter for another authority, I will not be the one who does that work. It is not my place to do so." Griffa said calmly.

"Then observe, nothing more. The end shall come, the light will fail and fade." Salem said with a dark smile.

"We shall see Salem, we shall see. I wouldn't go so far as to discredit those who oppose you." Griffa retorted with a wide grin on his face.

"Watch your tongue mystic, for I will be watching you. Here I reign sovereign with my power over my dominion." Salem said in an attempt to frighten to powerful mystic, her dark smile had disappeared.

"Your eyes cannot see, and foresee everything. Even the tiniest sparks can be invisible, like myself. Yet great flames of hope can still arise from them." Griffa replied without a hint of fear.

"Remember your place here." Salem said coldly.

"This is not entirely your domain, Salem. That lies somewhere else. I still carry enough power to defend myself, I did wander my apocalyptic world after all. It is not dead, simply experiencing another bloody chapter of history. Do not threaten a wise old dog that bears sharp teeth." Griffa replied, his tone unchanged. Salem did not answer Griffa, and simply returned to her domain in this world. Griffa then looked back to the road, he grinned knowing that Salem did not mention or even notice Max. "You will have to continue your fight my dear friend, but fear not. I will still be by your side to aid and guide you." Griffa said as he disappeared in a plume of desert dust.

-END CHAPTER-


	5. Don't stop now

Mad Max: Road to Salvation

Episode 5: Don't stop now

* * *

[Mad Max Fan: indeed she has.]

[Guest 1: He died at the end of the game.]

[Guest 2: Now.]

[SilentType 1997: Same as the game version just with some mostly unnoticeable upgrades like slightly thicker fuel tanks and extra seats. Other than that its the same.]

-TWO DAYS LATER-

The Road Warrior had been driving with Anya peacefully asleep in the backseat huddled next to Dinki-di. He just kept on driving, until he saw an abandoned rest area where he could stop for everyone including himself to eat. He pulled off the empty desert highway, and parked next to a small building. Anya began to stir and woke with a tiny yawn, Dinki-di did the same as he stretched out his mighty war dog muscles.

"Come on you two, time to eat breakfast." Max ordered gruffly to his travel companions.

"Yes, sir." Anya said cutely as she walked barefoot to the table. Max knew he should find some shoes for Anya when they resumed their drive.

"Woof." Dinki-di barked as Max set out an old doggy dish.

Max then opened up his ration pack and pulled out a can of dog food for Dinki-di and a small can of beans for he and Anya to split. They all ate together almost like a real family on a long road trip. Max spotted an old TV and an outlet on the wall. After he set up the TV and turned it, on a special news bulletin came on screen. For Max, it was nostalgia to see the news again like a regular person before the fall of civilization in his world. There were other unique individuals who would just so happen to be watching this report as well.

"Good morning Vale, this is Lisa Lavender reporting to from our studio in downtown Vale city. Our top stories today, mysterious vigilante defeats bandits and saves the village of Riverdale-Junction, SDC officials saved from white fang execution. For our first report we go live to our reporter on scene in the town of Riverdale-Junction, Vernon Verde. What's the scoop Vernon?" Lisa referred to her colleague.

"Thanks Lisa, the town was besieged by the fearsome Branwen bandit tribe only a short few days ago. Usually whenever a village is attacked by these ruthless bandits the town nothing but ash, but as you can see behind me the town is still standing. It was all thanks to a mysterious man clad in black leather, he was seen driving in a heavily modified sports or muscle car of unknown make or model. The man almost single handedly fought off half of the bandits with the help of a vicious guard dog." The reporter told the story of what happened.

"Is this true Vernon? That is quite a claim, and is it true that he faced down the Raven Branwen herself?" Lisa inquired.

"Indeed, it is Lisa I have several eyewitness reports that he faced off with the rogue huntress turned bandit without taking any significant damage." Vernon answered his colleague's question.

"Are any of them available for comment Vernon?" Lisa asked.

"Of course, Lisa I have the town's mayor Leland LeBlanc right here." Vernon revealed the mayor who walked onto the scene and sat down next to Vernon.

"Thank you, Mr. Verde." Mayor LeBlanc said calmly.

"Now Mr. Leblanc, I understand that your sheriff's men fought valiantly against the attackers, but it was this man who saved the town, correct?" Vernon asked the tired old mayor.

"Yes, He arrived just in the nick of time. While I have faith in our dear sheriff Meyers, we wouldn't be standing here if he had not intervened, and saved the lives of myself and my people." The mayor replied with a sullen look on his face.

"Now Mr. Leblanc, is it true that Raven herself escaped the custody of sheriff Meyer's deputies' custody and is still at large?" Vernon asked the question on everyone's mind.

"Unfortunately, your sources are correct Vernon. Despite the best efforts of our brave law enforcement officers, she managed to escape into the woods." Mayor LeBlanc answered truthfully.

"That's a bone chilling thought Mr. Leblanc. But if what you say is true then perhaps this mystery hero may end up stopping her again. Not that I have anything against our brave huntsman and huntresses but Raven is near unstoppable. We can only hope that whoever he is, and wherever he is, he may still be up to the challenge. It has also been confirmed that this man is in fact not a huntsman. Now we go to several other eyewitnesses for their statements on this mystery man." Vernon directed the viewers to the smaller screen that went full view.

"He saved our village, where were the huntsmen and huntresses when we needed them?!" Said one disgruntled villager.

"This guy was so cool, he just rolled up and started giving these guys the business end of his double barrels, bang, bang!" A young teenager said as he made finger guns.

"His car, man. Those wheels were like nothing I've ever seen before! It had two large fuel tanks on the back and a top-notch supercharger! I swear, whoever built that ride knew what they were doing. The thing was missing its front bumper though." The local mechanic drooled over the work of art that had come and gone.

"He stepped up and did what our so-called heroes, the huntsman and huntresses, failed to do so many times! He's good in my book!" One of the happier townsfolk said proudly.

"There you have it from the street Lisa. We even have recordings that have been submitted to us by several bystanders." Vernon said as a recording of Max's battle with Raven played on the screen. "This fight has already soared to 1 million views on dust tube and it's still climbing."

"That's amazing Vernon! Are there any clear shots of his face you can share with us?" Lisa inquired enthusiastically.

"You've got it Lisa." Vernon replied as an image of Max's face appeared on screen.

"He's certainly very handsome I'll say that much." Lisa said with almost visible blush.

"Alright Lisa that's it for me, back to you at the studio." Vernon said as the screen cut back to Lisa.

"Thanks Vernon. Now onto our next story, several SDC regional directors had disappeared in Vacuo last week in what was believed to be a kidnapping by the white fang. This has ultimately proven to be true as the SDC officials had returned recently alive and well from all accounts. It appears that the miraculous rescue of these individuals was actually thanks to the same brave man who saved Riverdale-Junction from Raven Branwen. Officially, the SDC has no comment on the matter and remains silent at the questions of our reporters. Wait I'm just getting confirmation now, we're going to a live feed from the SDC's VP of operations in Vacuo." Lisa said as the screen flashed to a full view of the VP of operations for the SDC's Vacuo branch. He stood at a podium addressing various questions and whatnot from the reporters, then he began to deliver a short speech.

"These continued attacks on our company by the white fang are proving to be quite a nuisance to our global operations. On the behalf of our legitimate business, I'd like to thank this mystery man for his actions in the rescue of our valued employees from these relentless terrorists. There is even a substantial reward for anyone who finds this man and brings him to any local SDC office for an exciting 'employment opportunity'. Now I'm afraid that's all the time I have for today." The man said as he walked away from the podium back into the building.

"There you have it folks, this mystery man is proving himself to be quite the people's champion. In fact, he is even being referred to as 'The Road Warrior' by his newly gained following. He certainly is showing his prowess to be that of an experienced huntsman, yet as current records show he is not, and no one knows where he came from. The Atlas military has even dispatched one of their renowned specialists to locate the man and bring him in for questioning. We'll update with you more on 'The Road Warrior' as details surface. For now, this has been Lisa Lavender from VNN." Lisa finished as the screen goes black. The view pulls backward to reveal Qrow Branwen and Professor Ozpin sitting in the professor's office.

"So that's the guy who beat the crap out of my sister…, I'm impressed." Qrow smirked as he drank from his flask.

"It appears we may have just found another possible ally in our struggle. I want you to find him Qrow, but please be discreet about it." Ozpin asked of his comrade.

"I don't know Oz, from what I could see he doesn't look like the helpful type. It seems to me more like he was just in the right place at the wrong time. I mean look at this guy, he beat the tar out of Raven, my psychopathic sister, without getting a scratch on him. Then he just drives off like it never happened!" Qrow threw his hands up in over exaggeration.

"Exactly, if he can stop your sister's rampage like that then it would be better to know if he truly is friend or foe. He has done the nearly impossible, Qrow." Ozpin said after he had a sip from his coffee mug.

"I can't do two things at once Oz, either I find and protect the maidens or track his raggedy ass down. From the way his car looked, he probably never stops moving unless he absolutely has to, which makes him even more difficult to catch. Besides, from what we both saw in the pictures Jimmy sent us, he's a killer. I don't think that's going to mix well with our little group to be honest. He tore apart those white fang rejects and their vehicles with just his fists and car, and the thing looks old but it's probably a beast on the pavement." Qrow shook his head as he and Ozpin discussed the situation.

"James has already dispatched Winter to find him, no doubt she'll be more likely to drive him away from our cause if she finds him first given her more forceful nature." Ozpin told his associate.

"You left out the possible bounty hunters too." Qrow retorted dryly.

"Regardless, it is imperative we find him before 'she' does, and I am not referring to our associate Winter. Her forces may already be looking for him thanks to this, as well as the white fang. So, time is of the essence in this matter." Ozpin said in a very clear and consistent manner.

"You got me there, Oz. Fine I'll head to Vacuo and look for him first, then the maidens." Qrow shrugged.

"If you cannot recruit him, then simply confirm his neutrality. There is no need for you to needlessly risk your life." Ozpin said with calm concern.

"Look who you're talking to Oz." Qrow smirked as he stood up from the chair and smugly pointed to himself.

"I am, and you're wasting time Qrow." Ozpin coolly remarked from his seat behind his desk and took another sip from his seemingly bottomless coffee mug.

"I guess it's time for me to hit the road then." Qrow said as he left Beacon tower.

-Patch island, Xiao Long residence-

"Woah that's a nice car, could use a paintjob though. Otherwise, not bad." Yang remarked as she and Ruby watched the VNN special news report on the man who defeated Raven Branwen. "He really doesn't pull any punches."

"Dad, look at this!" Ruby pointed at the screen. Taiyang just stared at the screen with his jaw dropped at the sight of the mystery hero beating the living hell out of Yang's cold and tough as nails mother like it was a walk in the park.

-With Weiss Schnee-

"Hmph he's formidable but his technique is imperfect, there are several instances where he could have executed his timing better. I will say that despite the outward appearance of a useless rust bucket, the car would certainly be stylish, if the paint were a different color of course." The Schnee heiress said as she watched the news report from the comfort of her bedroom.

-With Jaune Arc-

The young teenager was sitting on the couch eating a bowl of cereal until the breaking news report came on. He spat out his cereal at the TV when he saw the action-packed ass-kicking on the news. Jaune turned up the volume as he watched the flat-out slug fest between the two heavyweight fighters with his own two eyes. To him it was just like he'd turned on an extremely entertaining high-octane action movie. His eyes were almost super glued to screen as he watched. He was kind of sad when it ended though. "Aww man. Wait a minute it's on dust tube!" Jaune grinned as he used his scroll to watch the rest of the badass fight.

-With Max and co.-

Max's eye twitched, he was all over the news now. Which was bad news for him, now everyone was going to be hunting for his bounty. Luckily, he and his little surrogate family had finished their food, so packing up would be easy. A short distance away Max could see several dust trails from various approaching vehicles. He rapidly cleared the table and gathered his two companions back into the car. He made sure Anya had her seatbelt on and floored the gas pedal. Max hit the nitrous and took off down the highway at near top speed. Nearby, a certain rogue huntress was on a chopper style motorcycle with dirt bike style off road tires, watching the black car barrel down the road with a huge lead on its pursuers. She started her motorcycle and rode off after her rival, which she had a secret crush on. Max looked at the rearview mirror and gritted his teeth. Anya handed him his classic sawed off, and Max shoved it into the holster, ready for battle. He hit the nitrous again and the big chief V8 let out a proud roar as it reached top speed. Max reached a hand off of the wheel and smeared some black grease on his face.

Meanwhile, Winter was now on her way to Vacuo via one of atlas's warships to find the Road Warrior, and apprehend him for interrogation. She studied the man's technique and prepared her own tactics for battle against the experienced fist fighter as well as his dual shotguns. She even had some atlesian knight droids simulate his tactics one on one. She exploited the small but still visible weaknesses he possessed such as being a swarmer style type of fighter. All she would have to do is keep her distance and rely on superior timing to win. The only thing she wouldn't be ready was his tendency to fight dirty, that left him as slightly unpredictable but not a problem for her. She is winter Schnee, the elite atlas specialist after all.

-END CHAPTER-


	6. Motorhead

Mad Max: Road to Salvation

Episode 6: Motorhead

* * *

[SilentXD7: Winter is coming. Get it?]

[Blessingpilot4: Of course.]

[Mad Max Fan: Oh he will.]

[gold crown dragon: Thank you very much.]

[SilentType 1997: You were and yes it is the leather jacket from the end of the game.]

[Guest 1: it will be good.]

[Guest 2: you could say that, but the its not who you're expecting.]

[Guest 3: Yes really.]

[Guest 4: I completely agree on the goggles.]

[awesomerebel55: he does, and he will. The world is going to see just how painful underestimating Max can be.]

* * *

Max was on the run from a large group of vehicles that had been sent by the white fang to hunt him down. He had his foot to the floor and the V8 screaming as the interceptor became a blur on the highway. The white fang vehicles were specially built for speed and were staying on Max's trail. The road warrior hit the nitrous while Anya held onto Dinki-di as tight as she could. Blue fire streaked from the interceptor's exhaust pipes as the nitrous coursed through the motor, as if it were adrenaline coursing through the veins of a mighty animal of war.

A bullhead flew over and Max struggled to outrun the air vehicle. The side door opened to reveal several heavily armed white fang prospects. Their machine guns began spitting out hot at the road upon which max desperately drove. It was clear he'd angered the white fang enough since he'd made them look weak in front of the world. He was not even a huntsman, just a normal man. That made it even more humiliating for them for all of remnant to see. He had to be eliminated otherwise their cause morale continue to drop. The leader knew if he personally slayed the road warrior, people would fear him even more. If he took away the symbol that common people had begun to rally behind, they would see him as an unstoppable force. A force to be feared by anyone who opposed him and the white fang.

Adam Taurus mused to himself, he would be the man, no, the faunas, who killed the Road Warrior. He rode on a second bullhead that flew over the war party of followers he'd assembled to slay the fleeing hero. The hairs on the back of Max's neck stood up as he had the feeling that another powerful enemy was nearby. He focused on the road ahead and kept the pedal floored in an effort to escape his pursuers. Anya unbuckled herself and climbed up to the front seat with the bolt action rifle in her hands. She hoisted up the barrel, compensating for the speed and direction, she fired the weapon at the shooters on the bullhead that was chasing them. Anya hit one in the head, lucky him his aura was strong enough to take the bullet to the head. He stumbled over, and hit the other shooters, causing them to fire wildly around the cabin.

The white fang gunners weren't expecting the black car to able to shoot back at that range and they began panicking. Anya smiled as she kept firing until the magazine was empty. Max was proud of his little assistant as she kept putting pressure on the enemy. He gave her a quick thumb's up and they continued their battle. Max could see an old billboard that had collapsed into the perfect ramp, and remembered an extra grenade or two he'd snatched from his raid a few days ago. He told Anya to hold on and she strapped herself in. They hit the ramp and Max pulled the grenade pins as he threw the belt into the bullhead. The interceptor touched down on all four wheels as the bullhead exploded and crashed down on several of the white fang's pursuit vehicles.

Adam grew impatient and annoyed at how hard it was getting to kill this one man. He ordered his forces to continue their pursuit no matter the cost. His underlings fearfully followed their orders as Adam kept on sitting in his chair while his closest underling, Blake Belladonna, sat next to him. Back down on the ground several trucks had caught up with max and he started doing what he does best. He fired his shotgun at the front tire of the truck to his right. The heavy vehicle rolled and smashed onto a buggy that was behind it causing a large explosion. On the left, Anya was proving to be a good shot for one so little. She hit the driver of a buggy that was closing in on them and it crashed into the side of another truck. The heavier vehicle tore apart the small buggy and its driver kept on going. The grunts that had gathered in the bed fired their guns at the fuel tanks, hoping they would ignite and kill the interceptor's crew. All the rounds did was ping off the large tanks like rain on a metal plate.

Another buggy came up beside the interceptor, Max rammed into the side, and killed the driver by using his sawed off. Max spotted a bridge over a large deep gorge ahead, and another buggy was closing in. He asked Anya to load in the new fire dust shells. She put down the rifle and quickly reloaded the gun for max. He fired at the buggy and the pellets exploded on impact, that weakened the bridge as they crossed. The fuel tank on the buggy blew up and the bridge collapsed under its own weight. Max looked in the rearview mirror as the other vehicles halted their pursuit to avoid crashing. Anya put a hand up to Max expectantly. He took the hint and high fived her, causing the little girl to smile.

Adam saw max getting away and refused to let his prey escape into the relative safety of the vast Vacuo desert. He ordered the pilots to catch up with the black car. They complied and the bullhead flew overhead near Max's vehicle. The air vehicle got ahead of them and Adam looked down on the vehicle from his perch on the bullhead. He then jumped down on to the pavement in front of the vehicle and Blake followed him. Their impact cracked the old asphalt, Max saw them land and swerved to the side as Blake began firing gambol shroud at the Road Warrior's head intent on killing him.

He just barely held on to the wheel, focused on keeping the interceptor from spinning out as he dodged the pistol fire. Blake thought quickly and attempted to stop the car from escaping by grappling onto it using gambol shroud. The weapon hit its mark and she held on as the vehicle pulled her along with it. she climbed the cable as she swung around violently behind the car. Max saw her swinging around, growing closer with each passing moment. He pointed his sawed off behind the car and fired, hitting his unwanted passenger, causing Blake to slide backwards to the end of the cable. Max swerved the car from side to side in an effort to shake off the determined cat faunas. Blake then caught a short glimpse of Anya.

Little by little gambol shroud's grip on the car began to loosen, and Blake could feel it in the cable. Max sped up with the nitrous, and continued his desperate drive to safety. The sword end of gambol shroud finally gave way snapping in half, and Blake was sent tumbling back onto the hard pavement as Max disappeared into the distance. Blake felt like several of her bones had cracked from the landing. She picked herself with a great effort, and briefly thought for a moment that she had seen a very young dog faunas girl sitting next to her target in the passenger seat. She couldn't have imagined that, could she? Why was that little girl traveling with him? Was he truly the cold-hearted murderer of faunas she'd been led to believe he was, or perhaps a father simply protecting his child? To her that would explain his desperation and the reason for the killing her fellow white fang members to an extent. The bullhead stopped to pick up Adam, and then flew over to Blake to pick her up as well. Adam could see the distress Blake had in her body language.

"Do not worry my love, he will perish soon enough by our hands, and then no one will doubt our cause." Adam said with a heavy amount of blood lust in his voice. Blake did not answer him and simply watched as the interceptor disappeared over the horizon. The questions continued to plague her mind, was he what she believed he was or not? they flew back to gather the remaining white fang members who'd stopped to avoid crashing into the deep and foreboding gorge. "The next time we meet Road Warrior, you will not be so lucky. I swear I will have his head for what he has done to hurt our cause and make us look weak in front of the world. They will all fear us when he dies! There will be no escaping my wrath for him next time!" Adam said sinisterly as he sat back down in one of the seats on the bullhead. Blake simply thought of the little girl who had sat in the passenger seat beside the mysterious Road Warrior. She was a fellow faunas, a child who seemed so sweet and innocent. Blake racked her brain trying to find a reason to kill the Road Warrior other than simply because she wanted to, she was unsuccessful.

Back with Max and his companions, they were glad to still be alive and Max kept on driving. He had slowed down somewhat and began to feel almost relaxed. The sun had begun to set and Max knew he'd have to find shelter for the night for everyone to rest. He could see a ruined town up ahead and decided to stop in and see if there were any buildings suitable enough for shelter. He drove into an industrial area and spotted a warehouse that would suit his needs for the night. He stopped on the street and hopped out. Max climbed a nearby water tower to get a lay of the land and scout for any dangers that may be roaming about. Raven had been tailing max the whole time and had actually found another crossing near the highway. She stopped outside the empty town to scan the area for any grimm. So far it seemed as though they had moved on, and this town was simply another unclaimed ruin in the desert. Max's vehicle was nowhere to be seen from her vantage point, so she decided to also seek shelter within the confines of the ruins. The whole town had an ominous amount of dust swirling in the air around it.

The warehouse was full of tremendously valuable supplies for Max to use, the crates he found were full of well-preserved food and other survival supplies. He could see that it was all probably abandoned in some sort of emergency evacuation. Max wasted no time and put them to use for himself and his companions. He begun to cook some food at an old stove that had some propane ready for use. Anya found a place an old box of toys and began playing with them to pass the time. Dinki-di diligently patrolled the area for any hostiles that may creep up in the dead of night. Max had set out dinner on an old fold out table and the three of them had their fill.

Each of them slept with in the relative comfort and safety of the interceptor which Max had parked inside after dinner. He thought to himself how perhaps things were getting better for him. Was fate giving him the reward he'd earned for his good deeds and many years of endless pain and suffering? It was almost too good to be true. Like an almost pleasant dream for him, at the back of his mind he knew there was something coming. Misery would always come for him, he had learned that in his travels. It was a fact of life for him and nothing would change that. But he made a vow that as long as he still drew breath, no harm would come to Anya. He had failed so many others, yet he had also done so much good. He would not fail Anya, not as he had failed his own wife and son, not as he had failed Glory and Hope.

The next morning bright and early Max and his companions piled into the car and drove out to explore the ruins. He cautiously drove through the empty streets with his sawed off at the ready. So far, the town was completely empty and devoid of any life at all. That was what Max believed, until he saw something move in between the desolate buildings and through the alleys. Max followed the mysterious figure across town eventually stopping at a makeshift hut on the outskirts. He pulled up to the place and got an eerie feeling about it and for some reason he thought of Griffa. Max did not know why but this was not the exact feeling when Griffa was nearby. This was different, almost like the mystic had come and gone from this place. He didn't know what exactly to think about it but he knew it was strange.

He slowly opened the door and scanned the room with his shotguns ready and goggles covering his face to avoid getting dust in them like during his fight with Raven. Max heard scratching on the far wall and moved closer to investigate the noise with his flashlight shining on it. the road warrior felt a tingle on the back of his neck and swung around just as a scavenger pounced on him. The two of them got into a bar brawl style scrap roll. They kept on punching and slamming each other like crazy. Eventually the fight ended up outside as they rolled through the door. This scared Anya and she hugged Dinki-di as the dog growled and snarled in protective anger. Max slammed the scavenger's head against the ground and he retaliated by kneeing him in the stomach. Now the scavenger was on top punched max in the face knocking off his goggles allowing for a clear view of his face. The attacker froze and Max knocked him off. Max drew his sawed-off shotgun and was about to blow the scavenger's head off until he said something.

"Wait!" The scavenger screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Why should I?!" Max replied gruffly.

"The bloody shaman, he told me to find the man with the eyes of a wolf and his black machine! A road Warrior. You're him, the man the shaman told me told me to find aren't ya?!" the scavenger said matter of factly.

"Shaman, …tell me his name. If you know him, then you live." Max responded directly, getting right to the point.

"Griffa, the bloke's name is Griffa!" The young scavenger shouted. This was enough for Max to lower his shotgun and he let the scavenger stand up. "Thanks mate, sorry I mistook you for one of them bloody fangers at first. It took me almost knocking your block off to see you're another humie. The name's Bruz." The scavenger said as he extended his hand to Max. the road warrior cautiously returned the friendly gesture and shook it. "So you're the one he told me find. It's a pleasure to meet ya Boss. Bloody Rippa it is!" Bruz said casually. He then removed his own goggles and face wrap to reveal himself. He was a young man with a thin face, brown eyes, black buzzcut hair, and dingo ears on top of his head. His mouth had long scars flowing from each side like a self-inflicted joker smile. He also had engine or tool grease smears around his eyes. He seemed to be around approximately 16 years old. Bruz's tough appearance reminded Max of the war boys, one or two in particular. Nux and his ex-partner Slit, from his time on the war rig back home in his own world.

Max got a better Look at Bruz and saw his gear. For his head wear Bruz wore goggles and a face wrap he had pulled down to to speak with Max, as well as a spiked collar around his neck. On his well-built torso he sported a black tank top, leather ammo bandolier, and a sturdy leather pauldron on his right shoulder. He also wore baggy green military cargo pants, metal knee pads, black army combat boots. His fists were also well equipped with studded fingerless bracers, and decently made metal wrist guards.

"So, the shaman sent you to find me. Why?" Max inquired.

"He didn't tell me 'exactly' why boss. I figured he wanted me to pass along a message at first when I met him. But I clued into it that he wanted me to work with ya. He mentioned a hunchback you knew once, said you might need another black-finger. I just so happen to be one boss. Best you'll find in these parts." The dingo faunas told the truth as best as he could. Bruz revealed his old buggy and the thing mysteriously combusted as a certain self-assured atlas specialist revealed herself.

"By order of the atlas military you are to come with me for interrogation. This is non-negotiable. You have 30 seconds to comply Road Warrior." The woman said as she pointed her sword at the two wanderers, Max more so than Bruz. An atlas bullhead flew over and a large airship was also nearby.

"Bruz, grab whatever gear you can find and start the car while I hold her off!" Max ordered to the dingo faunas.

"On it boss!" Bruz said as he ran to the remains of his buggy and began hurredly scavenging for any of his tools and weapons.

"I won't warn you again. Stand down and surrender or face the consequences!" Winter warned Max. The road warrior just entered a fighting stance and signaled for the attacker to bring it on. Winter was not one to back down and swiftly charged at Max.

-END CHAPTER-


	7. Winter's Grasp

Mad Max: Road to Salvation

Episode 7: Winter's Grasp

* * *

A/N: Okay so I've posted a poll on my profile of who shall wed the road warrior. It's all up to you folks, choose wisely. If you think you've got an OC up your sleeves then leave the description in the reviews or PM me.

[Guest 1: I'm just getting that out of the way first, I've already set up a poll for Max's love life.]

[engineer2172: sorry I just couldn't help myself.]

[Guest 2: It's possible the angel combustion could once again will herself upon the world.]

[Mad Max Fan: He will, of course even his skills have limits.]

[Sam Hill: it did, but that was the magnum opus, not the interceptor.]

[supergifford: Step right up, step right up!]

[gold crown dragon: always bet on the winning horse.]

[Guest 3: thank for the automotive advice.]

[SilentType 1997: Well you're kind of right about that, so hopefully this fight will show that.]

[Guest 4: it is bit cramped now isn't it?]

[batmd: thanks for the suggestion.]

[Guest 5: You are correct in your assumptions.]

[SilentXD7: Well then I hope you like this fight, and thank you about the pun.]

[Guest 6: He is, but some people think he's a bit too OP. Yes unfortunately that does seem to be a pattern for poor old Max.]

[One eye: What do you mean by that first part? It is possible that others could seek the path of the warboy and follow max into battle.]

* * *

Winter charged at the waiting and ready to brawl Max. The road warrior sidestepped her assault and attempted to counter with a swift jab. Winter saw this coming from her training and dodged Max's retaliation with blazing speed. She jabbed her sword at non-lethal areas of Max's body so he would be relatively unharmed for interrogation. She landed a slice on Max's side and he grunt in pain. Pain was something he'd learned to live with and grabbed the razor-sharp sword by the blade. He then pulled winter in for a serious headbutt. This left her dazed enough for Max to punch her directly in the gut. That sent Winter sliding back, but she quickly recovered and rushed at Max again.

The road warrior then drew Raven's sword and clashed blades with the eldest Schnee. The sparks really flew from the collision of the blades as Max tried to fight fire with fire, or in this case blade to blade. Winter though was a far more experienced sword fighter and clearly outclassed Max's brutality with her honed grace. Max was determined not to be outdone and let his journey end here like it almost did at the citadel. He knew this woman wanted him alive, and from what he had experienced back home, he never wanted to be taken alive again. Max tried to match Winter blow for blow, but his wound was taking its toll. The atlas specialist saw her opponent slowly weakening and pressed the offensive.

"Bruz, hurry up! I can't hold her back forever!" Max uttered as he dodged one of winter's strikes.

"I'm trying boss, there's tools and parts scattered all over the damned place!" Bruz said as he gathered his remaining tools and parts into a toolbox.

"You're not going anywhere, except with me to explain yourself." Winter said as she used the less sharp end of her sword to toss Max away.

"No, I make my own way, and no one is going to stop me!" Max roared as he charged at winter.

"Leave the nice man alone!" Anya shouted from the safety of the car as she fired the bolt action rifle at Winter. The shot missed though, and Winter landed another slash at Max's torso. The little faunas girl's interference irritated winter slightly as she fought with her target.

"Woof!" Dinki-di barked from the car, obeying Max's orders to guard Anya and the interceptor.

"This can all be over if you surrender." Winter offered to a bleeding Max.

"Never, I will never be anyone's prisoner again!" Max growled as he dashed into winter, quickly grabbing her and delivering another furious headbutt. Continuing his furious assault, Max punched Winter rapidly as fast as his muscles would allow. Winter managed to force the furious fighter away from her and summoned a glyph. This one just so happened to be for gravity, shooting max up into the air and causing him to land on his back. The road warrior was dazed and confused hearing the voices again. Anya's especially, growing louder and louder for him to get up as he saw winter moving in closer with a pair of hand cuffs. Max shook his head and tried to stand up breathing heavily and clutching his wounds. He looked Winter in the eyes defiantly as she stood over him. Both sets of blue eyes met and for a moment she could see something within her target. Not just a simple minded feral ruffian, a vision of a former man of law and order. Then bruz ran over to help, hitting her in the head with a heavy pipe wrench. He hefted Max over his shoulders, and started hauling him back to the interceptor. Winter saw them escaping and quickly recovered. Bruz set down Max and pulled out his outback bowie knife, clashing blades with the specialist. Anya hopped out of the car and Dinki-di followed her.

"Get up! Please get up! I need you, we need you!" Anya said with tears in her eyes as Max was fading in and out of consciousness. Max heard her cries and rose up once more for battle. Anya hugged his leg and he put his hand on top of her head, ruffling her hair and extra ears. Bruz was battling winter desperately and giving her a run for her money. The wandering mechanic delivered a punishing blow to Winter's gut with his pipe wrench. He then door kicked sending her tumbling back across the desert floor. Winter was running out of patience now and used her semblance to summon a boarbatusk.

The summoned beast rolled at bruz and the dingo faunas engaged his own semblance of hyper durability to counter it. He bravely stood his ground with the summoned boarbatusk continuing to roll steadily pushing him back. Bruz let out a loud cry as he started to push back against the beast with a vengeance. Bruz had a slasher smile on his face as he lifted the white grim pig up and threw it at Winter. She dodged the incoming summon and rushed Bruz. The manic wasteland mechanic was exhausted from the overuse of his semblance, and Winter subdued him with relative ease.

Max approached her once more and readied his double barrels as his last resort. He had an ace up his sleeves though, she had not seen him use fire dust shells yet. Max drew the guns and fired a wall of flames at Winter. She took the full extent of his attack and Max quickly reloaded as she came at him again. Max saw another glyph form underneath him and rolled backwards, firing his sawed off at Winter, knocking her away. Max put away the guns and drew his blades, the sword he had taken from Raven as a trophy and his machete. Winter took up a dueling stance and Max did the same.

Though he lacked experience with the blades, he was about to prove he'd more than make up for it in sheer force of will. Winter was the one to make the first move and used a fencing technique to jab at max. The Road Warrior caught her blade with his own and entered a similar situation as he had with Raven. Both fighters were pressing with a heavy amount of sheer force trying overpower each other but max won out and door kicked winter in the chest. The attack had left a boot print on her clothes as she rolled backwards. Bruz picked himself up and went back to his earlier orders scavenging for tools, and his other weapons as Max duked it out with Winter.

The road warrior began using the machete for defense as he used Raven's sword for offense. Winter was actually having a hard time trying to defeat him, despite his lack of grace in his technique, the brutality certainly suffices. Max was gaining the upper hand until winter used a glyph on herself to zoom at Max. He crossed both blades in an attempt to hold her back but this time there was too much force for him to handle. Max's guard broke and winter had right where she wanted him, on the ground and pinned. Max thrashed violently in Winter's grasp as she pulled out the handcuffs once more. He tried to pull out his shotgun but Winter stepped on his hand to keep him from escaping. Dinki-di ran at her and tried to bite the determined woman but she just knocked him away with the handle of her sword.

Max shouted with all his might as he tried forcing Winter to get off of him. Winter fought hard to keep Max pinned as they struggled. He managed to break an arm free and smacked her across the face. Max then got on top of her and started punching her rapidly just like he did with Raven. Winter then actually slapped Max across the face. This did nothing to really halt Max's barrage but it made him pause for a moment. He went right back to beating the elder Schnee sister like a punching bag. Max then stopped to breathe when he could see that she was unable to fight anymore. He looked at his hands and then back at the woman on the ground. She was unconscious but relatively unharmed thanks to her aura absorbing most of the damage. Max stood back up and began to walk back to his car with his usual serious look on his face like a boss. He got into the driver's seat and the engine revved proudly as in celebration of Max's victory. He looked back at the unconscious and defeated Winter. Max did have to admit she was beautiful, and it didn't sit right with him to leave her like that. He sighed to himself and hopped out of the interceptor, cautiously walking over to his 'out cold' opponent.

"Oi Boss what are you doing?! Are ya bloody mad?!" Bruz yelled to the road warrior in confusion.

"Why are you going over to the mean lady?!" Anya shouted in agreement with Bruz.

Max just ignored them bringing out his canteen, he kneeled down to winter and she barely regained consciousness. Max offered her the water and she weakly drank it from the canteen. Once he felt she'd had enough to drink, he walked back to the car. Winter then started to rise again but only in time to watch Max and his partners drive way into the distance. Winter then called the bullhead down to pick her up, her pride was wounded. But she had to admit, it was gentlemanly of him to offer her water.

"Bruz." Max bellowed to his newest partner.

"Yeah boss?" The dingo faunus responded.

"Do you know somewhere we can lay low for a few days?" Max asked.

"Right'o boss, there's a few safe houses I've set up around these parts in case of something like this. I like to mess with them fangers all the time, so I needed to think smart in case they come looking for me." Bruz told Max his survival strategy.

"Where's the nearest one?" Max asked tactically.

"A few hours from here on the coast, big abandoned container ship. Used to be a grimm hive until they moved out to terrorize someone else." Bruz replied.

"Anything closer?" Max asked.

"There's a town we could stop in nearby, the doc there owes me big time. He'll get you patched up." Bruz told his new employer.

"Alright then, we'll head there first." Max drove down the highway with the town coming into to view.

"I'm hungry." Anya told the two of them.

"No problem Sheila, I have a little hidden supply cache where I can whip something for us, after we get the boss here to the doc. Sorry boss but we can only stop there for a short time since it's hidden for a reason, not as secure as the cargo ship. If we absolutely have to, we can stay the night, but it'll be cramped considering there's no beds." Bruz looked at the little girl sympathetically and then explained his reason behind the not staying at the supply cache to Max.

"My name's Anya." The little faunus girl pouted with a cute look on her face.

"We'll stay there tonight." Max ordered. They reached the safety small desert town of Ashford. Bruz pointed out the doctor's clinic and they hid the car in a back alley with Dinki-di being left to guard Anya and the car once more. The doctor saw Bruz carrying Max and his wounds were treated free of charge since the doctor owed a substantial debt to Bruz. After a while of Max getting sewn up, they departed the clinic and went over to Bruz's supply cache for a bite.

-MEANWHILE-

"How did he manage to escape your pursuit specialist?" General Ironwood asked of his subordinate on board an atlas airship.

"General Ironwood sir, I underestimated his tenacity and unpredictability. He proved to be very strong despite his apparent lack of aura. I managed to inflict some serious wounds, but he seems to have a high tolerance to pain. He also had assistance from a group of ragtag individuals, consisting of two faunus and an attack dog. Both of them were young, one being a teenager, the other a young child." Winter reported her reasons for failure and subsequent intelligence gathered on the Road Warrior and his motley crew.

"Is that so?" The general appeared intrigued.

"Yes sir." Winter responded. The general stood silent for a moment as if in thought and then he spoke again to Winter.

"You'll continue your search for him after you take some time to recover. Is that clear?" The general ordered to the specialist.

"Yes sir." Winter acknowledged the command.

"You are dismissed specialist Schnee." The general ordered her to take her leave and she did so. Winter then went to her quarters aboard the ship and contemplated the nature of her current target. He said he'd been a prisoner but as most records indicated he was not on any prison and or correctional manifesto. Yet she saw in him the gaze and honor of a lawman of some kind. It boggled her mind, but it did explain why he didn't go any further than he had in their battle. His gunfighting skills were also nothing to sneeze at since she had seen him in action personally.

While his fighting left some room for improvement, he'd expertly used his shotguns against her. He'd even been enough of a gentleman to offer her some water, yet she had been at odds with him. Winter just couldn't figure him out at all, even feeling something, she couldn't explain, an attraction of some sort. That was just ridiculous to her, he beat the snot out of her and she even slapped him. But he was handsome, and his eyes the blue color they bore… Winter got a quick look in the mirror and saw herself blushing. She just looked away and tried to focus on getting to her quarters for some… very personal time.

-Back with Max and Co.-

Max was letting his crew rest in the interceptor and he saw a bar across from the doctor's place. He supposed the was good business since a doctor was nearby in case there were injuries from a bar brawl. He saw a man getting mugged in an alley nearby and the former lawman in him decided to take action. He ran in and slugged the mugger hard enough to knock him out in one punch. Max then drew his shotgun and bashed he head of the larger and more muscular mugger. The victim just stood there against the wall with a look of astonishment on his face. Max beat them to a pulp and then walked away.

"T-thank you!"

Max said nothing as he just kept on walking to the bar for something he had not had in the longest time, a stiff drink.

-END CHAPTER-


	8. Moonshine run

Mad Max: Road to Salvation

Episode 8: Moonshine run

* * *

A/N: so far only 6 people have voted in the polls and its a three way split. Or it would be if there weren't 4 extra votes for Raven in the reviews. Sorry to anyone who may have voted for the option I had to remove. The polls have officially closed and its Glynda who takes the win at 8 votes thanks to several fans who PM'd me! Oh and sorry about the whole time thing, that was a mistake on my part.

[Billytheoldman: I'm considering it.]

[Guest 1: That's a possibility it'd be a bit of a culture shock for sure.]

[SilentType 1997: Well that's certainly one way of looking at it, it all boils down to who rocks the vote though. So far Raven's far ahead in the lead.]

[SilentXD7: Maybe he could take cinder since he is a one man army.]

[Guest 2: That's cool, besides it seems like Raven's going to win anyway.]

[Cin: Thank you, and yeah I didn't think about that at first but now its taken care of.]

[Guest 3: well thank you, I wanted be creative.]

[One eye: Well she's in the lead ahead of both Glynda and Winter.]

[Guest 4: Yeah he was, he even said that in the beginning of fury road.]

[Sam Hill: Well now she's in the lead.]

[6 finger: Hmm, I'll think about it.]

[Slim A Lou prime: Thank you very much.]

[Guest 5: got it, that's 6 for Raven.]

[Bill Phil: Right you are.]

* * *

Max continued his walk to the bar seeing the things all around him his world once had and more. People not trying to kill each other in the open, businesses selling their wares, restaurants selling food that wasn't made from questionable meat, and new technology being put to good use. He just shook his head, as a former man of the badge he knew it could all disappear without someone to keep it safe. These huntsman and huntresses were supposed to be the ones to keep the order, but here it was clear they didn't. This place was made for the strong, the weak needed a force like himself to stand for them. The guardians this world had picked weren't doing their job well enough. They were only distracting the masses from what couldn't be allowed to be seen. He had once been the MFP's top pursuit man, their best driver and enforcer of the crumbling symbols of law and order.

As a cop, the part of him that had laid dormant since the fall, he felt his sense of duty returning slowly. The law was his purpose until it became replaced by the need to survive. Now he was in a world that had yet to fall, he had friends again, he had a child to protect once more. Max shook those thoughts away, that wasn't him anymore. True he had those things, but that was his past, not the future. He just had to keep moving, he had only one goal, to survive. Max reached the bar and walked inside, what he saw was an even bigger reminder of the past he'd left behind.

Ruffians, drifters, drunks, and simple individuals just trying to survive by finding the answer at the bottom of the bottle. He walked over to the counter and looked the bartender in the eyes. The man behind the counter looked at the SDC bounty poster next to the TV on the wall. He turned his gaze back to Max and went wide eyed. Max lowered his hands to his guns, just in case. The bartender just acknowledged the road warrior's desire for privacy. Max took his hands away from the shotguns and the bartender filled a stein of beer for him. Max licked his chops and grabbed the glass handle. He chugged down that brew like he was saying hello to an old friend. Several other bargoers saw the poster on the wall and recognized who he was. The smaller scrappers knew enough to stay back out of respect and fear. The larger and dumber ones decided to pick the wrong fight with the wrong man.

"Hey! You're the road warrior, why don't you come with us? A lot of lien on your head." The thug leader said as he stood behind Max.

"I just came to drink, step off or get crushed." Max growled.

"Oh, he's got a backbone!" Another thug mocked him.

"I think he needs to be taught a lesson! What do you think boys?!" The thug leader spoke to his fellow dumb thugs.

"Let's get him!" One thug shouted.

"We'll be famous if we catch the man who beat Raven Branwen!" Another one shouted gleefully.

"I want that sweet bounty!" Another thug bellowed.

Max just got up from the bar and slammed his fist into face of the first man, swiftly turning back and smashing in the knee of a man who tried to get behind him. The man screamed in agony, as max lifted him over his head and broke the thug's shoulder by slamming him on the ground. He then kept the streak going by twisting another man's arm and dislocating it in brutal fashion. Two men charged him and he stepped back, using both of his hands he smacked their heads together. The blood was flying everywhere from mouths and noses of the thugs who kept coming at max, all in the hopes of getting that bounty. Max found a broken chair and began using a leg he snapped off as a baton. He showed his skills as a former law enforcer through his use of the baton. He was knocking the wind out of each of his next foolish victims. They still weren't taking the message though as they keep going down one by one and even two by two sometimes.

He didn't stop until he'd knocked down all the so called tough guys in the bar. The other patrons just whooped in praise for the man, as he'd just been crowned king of the ring. He then started tying up the knocked-out men who he'd beaten like drums. The bartender was more than happy to supply the rope for him to restrain the unruly patrons. He then poured another glass for Max, a double this time. Max nodded to him and continued his work tying up the thugs. Some of them came to and tried breaking the rope but it only got tighter as they struggled. Max sat down at the bar and drank his liquor in silence.

He then noticed there was another patron at the counter further down who hadn't moved an inch since the fight started. If he had, it was only to watch the whole thing go down, like a patron at a theater. The man stood up and moved seats, over next to Max. The road warrior just slammed the stein back down, and the bartender just poured him another drink. Max began trying to give all the signals that he wanted to be left alone, as if the fight hadn't been a big enough sign. The drunken patron just turned his head and stared at Max with a drunken smirk on his face.

"Nice to see the guy who beat my sister in action, you really kicked their asses." The unnamed patron said coolly.

"Your sister?" Max raised an eyebrow.

"She had that coming alright I won't deny that." The patron replied.

"Raven." Max said as he turned his head back to his mug of beer.

"That's her name." The talkative patron answered.

"I want to be left alone." Max grumbled.

"What a man can't talk at a bar?" The man kept on talking.

"If you want someone to jaw at, do it to someone else. I'm not in the mood." Max snarled.

"Sheesh pal I'm just trying to make conversation here." The man tried to get Max to chill out.

"I don't want to talk, just drink. Get the message or get lost." Max kept his eyes on his beer stein and drank it down.

"Hey bartender, give us your strongest stuff. Maybe this'll change your tune." The man just kept trying to get through to Max. The bartender reached for the top shelf and the unnamed patron handed him a lien card. He started pouring the drinks but then the patron sitting next to Max signaled for him to leave the whole bottle. The bartender just shrugged, and left it on the counter going back to cleaning the other mugs and dishes. Max saw that his stein had been filled with the tops shelf booze and swiftly downed the rough drink. His fortitude was being tested this hardcore liquor, the man next to him drank straight from the bottle.

"A friend of mine has been wanting to meet you." Qrow said putting his hands behind his head.

"No." Max grunted.

"Not going to take that for an answer pal." The patron stood up from the bar stool.

"I said no, now I'm leaving don't get in my way." Max said as he got up from his bar stool.

"I was hoping we wouldn't have to duke it out but…" The man pulled out his sword.

"This is your one warning, don't push me." Max said as he started to walk away.

"The name 's Qrow by the way." Qrow said with a smirk.

"I don't care." Max said as he got stepping, only to be cut off by the scythe that sprung up from Qrow's sword. The road warrior rolled to the side under the scythe and made a dash for the door. He made it to the street and ran for the alley where Bruz's stash was hidden. Qrow wasn't far behind Max and the two of them were now in a game of cat and mouse as Max dropped trash cans and whatnot to slow down the nimble huntsman who was chasing him. Max saw a ladder to the rooftops and climbed up as fast as his legs would allow. Qrow ran up the wall, grabbed ledge, and somersaulted landing on his feet. Max dashed across the rooftops and jumped over a railing in his way. He then spotted another ladder and slid down to the street again.

-With Bruz-

The young mechanic had woken up and noticed that Max had left. He figured the road warrior would be back pretty soon so he didn't think much of it. That was until he heard a loud bang that could only be associated with one of Max's shotguns. Bruz then started the interceptor, and checked that all the gear and crew wear aboard. Anya and Dinki-di were aboard and fast asleep. Bruz stepped out of the car and opened the doors, he saw Max running for the car and hopped into the passenger seat. Max wasted no time and jumped into the driver's seat with Qrow not far behind. He stomped on the gas pedal and the interceptor roared as they blasted off to the street. Qrow saw the black vehicle starting its escape and ran to try and catch it before it hit the highway. Max drifted around a tight corner and used the nitrous to pass right under Qrow as he tried to land on the car's roof. Qrow instead fell flat on his face as the car took off into the distance. The dusty old Qrow just cursed at the fact that the road warrior was proving to be very elusive for just some guy. He even thought about how he'd tied up the guys in the bar like an experienced cop. Qrow would have to tell Oz what he knew at least since his target had slipped through his fingers.

"Oi boss that was Qrow Branwen!" Bruz shouted to his employer.

"Yeah he told me that himself." Max stoically responded.

"Why the bloody hell was he after your arse? You tick him off or something?" Bruz asked curiously.

"He said someone was looking for me, a friend of his. Any idea who that might be?" Max replied.

"Sorry boss, but I haven't the foggiest idea." Bruz shrugged.

"These attacks are just getting worse, we have to find out who's after me and why. Do you at least know a good place to start looking?" Max asked the hyena faunas.

"I would say I knew a bloke back at Ashford but …" Bruz trailed off.

"Any alternatives?" Max inquired.

"The town of Opal might be a good spot, but its crawling with killers, liars, cheats and thieves a lot worse than Ashford. There's also the damn huntsman academy, shade. I think that's what it's called anyway, never really cared or had a reason to go anywhere near it. I guess the short answer would be that I have a deep distaste for those self-righteous slag heads." Bruz suggested before grumbling about his extreme dislike for huntsman and huntresses.

"Then that's where we're going after we stop at your ship." Max said calmly.

"Not the academy boss!" Bruz gasped in confusion

"No, we'd be walking right into the belly of the beast." Max stated his tactical opinion.

"Oh, thank the sacred crankshaft and Oum almighty, Opal it is." Bruz grinned in relief.

"We'll hit the academy after that if we can't find answers in Opal." Max explained their plan B.

"Have you truly gone mad boss?!" Bruz looked at his boss with confusion.

"We'll only go there if we don't have a choice, you said Qrow is a huntsman so that's where we'll go." Max said stoically once more.

"He works at signal or so I've heard. That's in the next continent over in the kingdom of Vale, that's a long way from here in Vacuo boss." Bruz explained to Max.

"Like it or not, that's what we're going to do, if shade doesn't provide answers either." Max stated flatly.

"We'd stick out like burning roadkill on the asphalt!" Bruz shot back.

"That's our plan, deal with it." Max put his foot down on the matter.

"Yes boss, I get ya." Bruz reluctantly agreed.

"It'll be a few days before we do this though since it's a last resort. So, we'll have time to be ready for the trip in case we have to go." Max told Bruz.

"Right'o then boss, who wants to live forever anyway?" Bruz said with his mood doing a total 180. They drove to Bruz's cargo ship and the desert mechanic activated the gate lift. A massive steel gate lifted up and revealed a large garage area, stocked with all kinds of parts and crates of ammunition. Max turned the car around and parked on the vehicle lift. The crew of the interceptor hopped out and they started exploring the ship, except for Bruz who happened to live there. Anya saw all the assorted boxes and began opening them up with Dinki-di staying close to her.

Max saw a chair overlooking the entire maintenance area and sat down. He then tried to clear his mind to think of how he would go about his newest objective. As max planned Bruz kept an eye on Anya with Dinki-di's help. Max felt a smile coming on when he saw those three. It was almost as if they were his own children taking care of each other, with him keeping an eye on them. The road warrior knew this was more than he could have ever hoped for back in his own world. As he sat there watching the kids just being kids, Raven observed the fortress from a distance. She contemplated what she would do when she confronted him. Deep down she felt something she had only felt once before with Taiyang. But with this man who traveled the road it was far stronger. Was her cold and solitary heart actually warming and perhaps even yearning for this man? She couldn't describe the feeling that she held for him exactly. She had barely any attachment to her own daughter and the girl's father, so why was it different with him? Raven just sat there confused and distraught over it, this bred weakness. She reason that strength was why she abandoned Taiyang and her own daughter. But yet the man she yearned for was far stronger than her even though he had his own child. Then another possibility entered her mind, perhaps attachment does not breed weakness, but is in fact a strength. It seemed ridiculous at first, but the proof just sat there in the fortress before her.

-END CHAPTER-


	9. Learning Curve

Mad Max: Road to Salvation

Episode 9: Learning Curve

* * *

A/N: I intend to stand by the decision that has already been made, but I may have a solution to this that may prove to be even better. Just stick with me and read the story, please. I make no promises though.

[Guest 1: You are correct, she is blind.]

[Guest 2: Thank you for being understanding about that, Max has to be where all the action is.]

[Slim A Lou prime: She did.]

[Reluctant saint: Thank you for the Idea.]

[SilentType1997: Too late, but you are correct it doesn't.]

[Review Dude: Dude you are so very correct, besides Glynda took the win.]

[Witness Me: Yes I will continue, but no the harem doesn't suit old Max.]

[gold crown dragon: if you want me be more specific then well PM me. Otherwise, I have an open door policy.]

[Baron bolt: I thought so at first too, but then I really took the time to research Max.]

[SilentXD7: Yes it's better that Glynda gets the role.]

[Guest 3: Too late.]

[buzzsaw935: oh yes they do, just do the research and you'd see.]

[Guest 4: its where the action is.]

[Guest 5: Max doesn't need to be with her to change her mind.]

[6 Finger: I'm thinking about him.]

[Guest 6: They are, the vote's done.]

[Just walk Away: Nux had his ass kicked over and over, then he just needed a nudge in the right direction. That's what I believe, and Raven doesn't need to be with Max for her to get a similar nudge.]

[Guest 7: just wait and see.]

[Guest 8: yes that will be very cute.]

[SilentType1997: Like the idea, I really do, but without the designer's permission I'd be in a deep pile of ...]

* * *

"Oz, it's me." Qrow said over an encrypted channel.

"How is your progress so far, Qrow? Have you managed to find the Road Warrior?" Ozpin asked his field man.

"I did Oz, he's good, really good." Qrow praised the skills of his target.

"Has he accepted the invitation?" Ozpin asked calmly.

"About that…" Qrow scratched the back of his neck.

"I suspected this." Ozpin sighed.

"Not my fault he's good at getaways." Qrow snapped.

"I never said it was. Either way, have you managed to at least learn anything about him?" Ozpin chuckled, and the he asked Qrow for intel on the Road Warrior.

"Mostly what we already knew, but I did see a few new things that stuck out." Qrow started his report.

"Oh?" Ozpin raised an eyebrow.

"Besides being grouchy as hell, the guy fights like a cop, a damn good one. He even ties pretty good restraints like a rural cop would. Hell, he even drinks like a veteran street cop. He also travels with two kids as well as that dog from the video." Qrow explained his gathered intelligence on the road warrior.

"Yet I have perused the files, and he is not on any known law enforcement database that even I have access to." Ozpin said stoically.

"He doesn't strike me as a ghost, especially with the two ankle biters riding shotgun." Qrow gave his opinion.

"From what you've said I'm inclined to agree. It seems more like he's running from something besides us and everyone else." Ozpin surmised.

"Then just where in Oum's name did he come from and what is he running from?" Qrow asked in frustration.

"We'll just have to ask him." Ozpin said flatly.

"Last time I did that I ended getting a face full of flaming buckshot while I was chasing him, not to mention eating the asphalt face first after that." Qrow grumbled about his encounter with Max.

"Keep trying Qrow, I'm sure you'll succeed in time." Ozpin said faithfully.

"I never said I was giving up." Qrow smirked.

"That's the spirit." Ozpin said with some cheer.

"But just how am I going to get him to open up and listen if doesn't even want to be anywhere near me?" Qrow crossed his arms.

"I spoke to the mayor of Riverdale-Junction, and he told me something I found to be slightly enlightening." Ozpin brought new information to light.

"Care to share Oz?" Qrow asked the wise headmaster.

"The man doesn't consider himself a hero, and the mayor only got him to stay longer by offering for him to receive a reward." Ozpin said stoically.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Qrow said slightly annoyed with old news.

"It means he might be willing to make a deal with us." Ozpin stated the point.

"What have you got up your sleeve this time Ozpin?" Qrow furrowed his brow.

"We give him what he wants." Ozpin said.

"We don't even know what that is!" Qrow snapped.

"We know he wants to be left in peace." Ozpin listed the first option.

"That's obvious, I have a gut feeling we're going to need to bring more to the table than that. If we don't do better than he might come looking for us, and I have the sinking feeling he'll tear up continent to get to the bottom of this." Qrow deadpanned.

"Sanctuary and a better future for those children is another thing to offer as well." Ozpin said coolly.

"Still probably not enough." Qrow knew it would take a lot more.

"It will have to suffice for now Qrow." Ozpin told the dusty old crow.

"I hear ya Oz." Qrow accepted it.

"Qrow I have also received scattered reports of Raven sightings." Ozpin alerted his associate.

"What the hell is she doing out here?!" Qrow growled.

"Probably the same thing we are." Ozpin stated the obvious.

"Figures my psychotic sister would go after the guy who beat her harder than a rock star's snare drum at a concert." Qrow shook his head.

"Quite right, so we just have to find him before she does as well." Ozpin advised Qrow.

"That guy just doesn't seem to find any peace." Qrow felt sorry for the road warrior.

"While I would not wish to continue harassing him, he'll be far safer standing with us than he would alone." Ozpin reminded Qrow of the stakes.

"I get that, well time for round 2." Qrow stretched himself out.

"Good luck Qrow." Ozpin said to his field operative.

"Afraid that isn't my semblance Oz. Qrow out." Qrow smirked as he hung up the call. He transformed into his crow form and followed the highway from the air. He saw the still fresh tire tracks from Max's interceptor heading towards the coast. Qrow flew for quite some time as he followed Max's trail along the road. Eventually he discovered the old shipwreck Max was using for a base for the time being. He perched himself over a hole on top of the lift gate. He saw Max siting in his easy chair, watching Bruz work on the interceptor, while Anya played with the dog.

Qrow then turned his attention to the nearby ridge and spotted his sister. She hadn't noticed him yet so he took the opportunity to get a bird's eye view of the situation. Raven turned her back to the ship and kept thinking to herself about the whole ordeal. That man had beaten her once, and he seemed like one to follow through on his threats. She hadn't forgotten the fact that he had held a gun to her head, and allowed her to live. Was it worth her life to satisfy the craving?

She remembered her more practical reason for tracking him down, and that was to retrieve her weapon. The words he had spoken rang through her head as if he were saying them again. "I survive because I'm strong, you're weak because you slaughter." She tried to figure out what it meant. Then Raven considered that he meant he survived because he simply cared about himself. But there he was with two children and a pet. Her thoughts drifted back to Yang, Summer, and Taiyang. She had thrown it all away for a reason, hadn't she? She had her people to lead, and yet she was here not there. Qrow landed on a dead tree near Raven and eyed his sister. They had both found the man they were chasing, all either of them had to do was make a move to speak with him. Then a strange man walked up the path, he carried a large pack on his back, and wore a hood with industrial goggles covering his eyes.

"I see you eye the one who once traveled to forget, now he seeks to awaken his inner-self from its slumber." The hooded man said in a strange and eerie tone. Raven shot up from her seat and pulled out her dagger. She ran to kill the man but he simply disappeared as quickly as he came. The next moment he reappeared the opposite of Raven's position. "You seek perhaps to intertwine your destiny with his own. Yours lies elsewhere bloodbird, you have yet to remember the woman you once were. You say this is what you are, and always will be, and perhaps he is the strength you seek. I can neither say if he is or not. His destiny and yours do intersect, but he seeks to regain himself, you do not, not yet anyways. I am certain though that his destiny lies with another a good witch. She shall reawaken what sleeps inside of him."

"Who are you?" Raven hissed.

"I am one who seeks to unravel the mysteries, I am Griffa." The wandering mystic said in a calm voice.

"Why have you come here, Griffa?" Raven eyed the man suspiciously, ready to make another attempt on his life.

"Look down there at that ship and tell me what you see behind the rusted iron and twisted scrap? You flee yourself and claim that strength is the answer. But the true answer you seek for the question is as his reflection, so clear yet you blind yourself to it. He is regaining what is so precious, the thing that you have so callously thrown away without thought or remorse." Griffa spoke to Raven, pointing his finger at the at the ship and its denizens.

"What are you babbling about?" Raven growled.

"He would not accept you for your sins, for though he himself has sinned, he has done so in the name of vengeance and justice. You have sinned in the name of your misguided belief in strength, and others have paid the hefty price, and so will even more. It is a shame that such a young and spirited child should eventually lose something that seems so mundane, yet without them as a pair the child is no longer the same. Perhaps this can change by either your hand or his own, but together is not possible. You would claim you care, but you abandon the cub you find to be weak when her need of you would be at its truly greatest." Griffa continued his riddles.

"She means almost nothing to me. I would grant her that kindness once, if that. That man is the strength my tribe needs, with him at my side no one could stop me." Raven partially understood what he meant but did not grasp the message.

"Therein lays the blindness you try to justify, we have a long way to wander blood bird." Griffa paced in the dirt.

"Leave Griffa." Raven ordered to the shaman.

"Perhaps we shall see each other along the road if you choose to seek me out. If you wish to see the truth of my words for yourself then go. But heed my warning, he will not accept you. Innocent blood covers and forever stains your hands not his. The blood which covers his hands is tar black with the madness and evil of those who he has slain in his travels." Griffa said as he walked away and vanished without a trace.

Qrow was weirded out beyond all comprehension on the inside by that guy. Whoever he was, he seemed to know a whole hell of a lot more than everyone else. How did he know so much about Raven and the guy in the ship? Qrow tried to make sense of what he had heard. What Qrow did piece together was that the guy had mentioned his niece/Raven's daughter Yang, and something about family. But what did he mean about her need being greatest? Qrow would shake his head if it wouldn't give him away to Raven. She sat there pondering the man's words to herself, while her brother sat on a tree branch above her still unnoticed. Qrow flew away as silently as he could before Raven flung the knife at the tree, sticking it to the branch her brother had sat on, she finally noticed.

"Leave Qrow." Raven said coldly to her brother clearly wanting to be left alone. Qrow transformed again and found himself face to face with his bloodthirsty sister once more.

"You never call, or write-." Qrow rattled off sarcastically.

"Stay out of my business." Raven growled to her brother.

"I'm not here for you sis, but that was kind of funny to watch him kick seven shades of shit out of you last time." Qrow giggled.

"Losing my patience Qrow." Raven narrowed her eyes.

"What little you have, anyway I didn't come all this way to pick a fight with you-" Qrow started to explain.

"Then leave." Raven rudely cut him off.

"From what that raggedy guy said, you seem to have a death wish sis." Qrow crossed his arms.

"Same to you." Raven replied with her anger rising.

"I'm here to keep you from getting yourself killed doing something stupid, that'll lead to my niece getting herself killed the exact same way. From what I heard, he almost killed you last time, and Yang would get herself killed trying avenge you. But then again, she hardly even knows you, but she'd probably try to kill him since she'd find out someday that he killed you. I don't do bits and pieces sis." Qrow said with a heavy amount of spite.

"She's weak." Raven said coldly.

"Bullshit, if she wanted to she could probably lift a 10-ton truck with her bare hands." Qrow defended his niece.

"She'd never have the stomach for life in our tribe." Raven continued her callousness.

"Your tribe, not mine. I'm not a delusional mass murderer who thinks killing innocent people solves any problems at all." Qrow shot back with the heavy artillery. "Time to cut the shit, stay away from him, and there won't be a problem."

"I'm going down there and you won't get in my way Qrow." Raven said completely stone-faced.

"I came here to get him for Oz, you're the one picking a fight here. You don't even have your sword, he does." Qrow smirked as he pointed to his sister, then to the shipwreck. Raven ground her teeth in anger as she was outgunned this time and she knew it. But she stubbornly refused to let it go.

"Then I'll just go down there and get it." Raven stopped showing her anger and said revealed a cunning tone.

"Not happening sis, you should remember what I said about you doing something stupid. I don't want to put Yang, or hell even Ruby, in danger later on down the road because of you. Since she'd probably drag her along, and they'd both die trying to kill him. I love those two, but they are way out of his league, even if they work together." Qrow narrowed his eyes and ranted to his sister angrily.

"Hmph, you forget my abilities." Raven snorted.

"For once you're right, but that guy knows you all too well. Even if you get in there, he'll swat you down without your sword, plus he has the home field advantage in there. Just face it sis, he is way better than you." Qrow stated the facts.

"I'm going down there to get my sword, whatever happens, just happens." Raven said with determination.

"I don't think so sis, think about this." Qrow said as he got in Raven's way.

"Move Qrow, now." Raven snarled violently.

"Never figured you for knuckle dragging talk, but then again I should pay attention to that. Oh, wait I have been." Qrow said to his sister with heavy sarcasm.

"Last chance Qrow, move or I go through you." Raven growled at her brother.

"You know what fine, but if you lose something don't come crying to me!" Qrow finally let it go and Raven stormed off down the path on foot to avoid attracting attention. She then summoned a portal, and went to the upper deck of the ship.

-END CHAPTER-


	10. Raven's folly

Mad Max: Road to Salvation

Episode 10: Raven's folly

* * *

A/N: I would like to thank all the fans who have faith in this story. Your support is what helps this along, as long as one person follows or favs this I will do my best not to give up.

[SilentType1997: Thank you for standing by the story, and yeah I noticed that little detail and it's been changed.]

[Guest 1: the rematch has come, but Max has more help this time.]

[Awesomerebel55: thanks and yeah.]

[Mad Max Fan: It is.]

[The wanderer: Yeah and she in fact did not. But we are so far from that so who knows.]

[Batmd: you'll see.]

[Review dude: thank you, and yes well I did my best on the fight, but recent events on my end have made it difficult, so I'm sorry if it falls short.]

[buzzsaw935: Thank you for sticking around, I will do my best.]

[Charles: Nice to know, and I am doing my best.]

* * *

Raven had summoned a portal and warped herself to the top of the ship. Qrow saw that and just flipped her the bird from the camp on the ridge. Raven peeked in through one of the open ports in the roof, she saw that apparently everyone had gone to sleep. She found this to be a golden opportunity to retrieve her weapon from Max without him or his companions being able to stop her. She silently made her way below deck into the hold that had been rebuilt into a garage. No one was in sight and raven could her the sounds of snoring coming from down a dimly lit hallway. She proceeded to make her trough the ship to the crew quarters where Max and the children were resting. The snoring appeared to be coming from Bruz's room where he, Anya and even Dinki-di were all resting peacefully.

Seeing that struck something within Raven, a reminder of the life she'd left behind. She shook her head and continued down the corridor, treading carefully as if each step could be her last. She saw a door that had an active light above it not far from the room where the children were sleeping. She figured that was where her rival and her weapon were resting. She slowly turned the hatch, opening the door to reveal Max's acquired weapons laying on the floor next to the bed. The road warrior himself was resting on the bed in a deep yet troubled sleep. Raven snuck over to the weapons stash and found her sword among them. She then had a thought come to her mind, the road warrior was unconscious, and therefore defenseless.

She held her blade in her hands contemplating whether or not to take this chance and eliminate him. She leaned in close, her blade was a mere inch from his throat. She was poised like a hungry black widow ready to consume its prey, yet she could not bring herself to make the slice. She asked herself why within her mind but no answer came. She pulled her sword back and her eyes wandered down Max's well-toned yet heavily scarred torso. Her eyes did not lie, he'd suffered greatly and all of that left him with rippling muscle most men would envy. Raven shook her head and considered the fact that she would only ever have one chance at what she was about to attempt, if what that stranger said was true. She walked over to the steel door, and slowly shut it without making a sound. The view then goes to the outside of the door as thirty minutes pass and muffled female moans can be heard from the other side. When the moaning finally ends its replaced by shallow panting and grunts of pleasure. One last almost loud moan is heard as Raven finishes her business with Max. The scene returns to the inside of the room with raven putting her clothes back on as well as grabbing her sword again. She opened the door and stepped out with an unusual blush and smile on her normally serious face.

She then made her way down the hall back to the exit and just as she came upon the children's room a certain overly protective pooch happened to sniff the air. Dink-di sprang to his canine feet and howled an alarm loud enough to wake the dead. Raven ran for the ship's main door and spotted the door's activation switch over next to the door. Dink-di ran at her with fangs bared, a fully dressed Max and Bruz were right behind him. The three wasteland warriors came at Raven in a three-pronged attack as Dinki-di avoided raven's blade and chomped down hard on her leg. Raven grunted in pain and tried to stab down as the dog jumped back.

Max came at her from the left, with both his guns drawn, firing them at Raven sending her flying into a bulkhead. Bruz discharged his own gun-bow carbine at her using fire dust bolts. The explosion knocked her through the battered steel wall and into a bunch of crates. Raven stumbled to her feet and began to trying to mount a defense. She swung her sword barely missing Bruz's neck in slow motion. The manic mechanic rolled to the side and threw a wing-stick at Raven that she just cut in half effortlessly. Bruz fired his gunbow's fire dust bolts again causing damage to both himself and raven. Bruz just grinned at the pain, he'd suffered far worse during his childhood. Max charged in fired his shotgun knocking raven into the air before slamming his arm down hard on her face sending her back to the floor. Bruz picked her up and threw her into another bulkhead. Dinki-di snapped at her arm and her aura began to crack under the pressure.

The vicious assault from her three opponents was relentless as they kept beating her like there was no tomorrow. Raven dove out of he crowded room and back into the more open garage. She raised her sword as Max slammed his machete against her own blade. Max backed off and slammed her head against his right knee. He then picked her up and continuously rammed her head against the fender of the interceptor. Raven's forehead began to bleed a she tried to elbow max in the gut, only to end up missing and having Max pin her arm behind her back. He flipped her around and started to choke her, he then began punching her in the chest, avoiding her abdominal area. Raven felt her ribs crack like glass under the constant punching, if they were not breaking. Max then tossed her to the ground, and stomped his boot on her spine. He flipped her over and stomped on her chest, cracking her bones and aura even further. Max brought out his shotgun again and Bruz pointed his gunbow at her while Dink-di looked her in the eyes and snarled.

"I warned you, didn't I? I told you what would happen if you followed me. For all the killing you've done, wasting your life trying to justify living by being tougher than everyone else. I never enjoy killing, but you seem to just like all the others I've faced who do. You're just another pathetic nuisance in my way." Max said angrily as he pushed the gun closer to Raven's head with his eyes looking more furious than ever.

"Get your shotgun out of my face." Raven growled face down on steel floor.

"I think we should finish the job boss. Otherwise, this slaghead's gonna keep nipping at our heels." Bruz said zealously.

"Daddy! Don't kill her! She can't hurt us!" Anya defended the downed Raven and hugged Max's leg. Max was stunned by this for a moment, he then refocused on Raven and gritted his teeth. Against his better judgment he was about to do something he had rarely ever done before.

"GRRRRAAAGH!" Max shouted as he pointed both barrels his of classic sawed off in the air and fired. "She just saved your life, I will warn you only once more. That's twice I've held your life in my hands, and twice I've given it back. If I see you again, no one will save you, and I will show no further mercy." Max said in quiet fury as he leaned down to Raven. The bloodbird just kept on struggling to try and free herself from Max's grip. Then A certain dusty old crow made his presence known to Max and his crew. He jumped down from the top deck of the ship and raised his hands.

"Wait I come in peace!" Qrow with his hands up.

"What are you doing here Qrow?" Max turned his attention to Qrow but kept his gun trained on the subdued, yet increasingly hostile Raven.

"I came to talk, just like last time." Qrow said as he slowly walked forward.

"That's close enough, I told you no." Max grunted.

"Just hear me out, my friend wants to make a deal." Qrow offered to Max.

"You have nothing to offer me." Max said as he began to disregard Qrow's presence.

"Yes, I do. You want people to leave you alone, or even better you want a better place to stay? Because you have stepped into one big mess buddy and this will benefit everybody interested including those two kids of yours. Just come with me and we can-" Qrow started to say as Max cut him off.

"How do I even know I can trust you?" Max said with suspicion.

"You just have to have faith." Qrow's demeanor didn't change.

"…I'll consider it. That's the best you'll get, now take your damned sister and leave, before I change my mind." Max growled to him and booted Raven over to her brother. He picked up the sword again and holstered it on his back. This Caused Raven to scowl at Max in anger for once again depriving her of her prized weapon.

"Alright, I see you're a bit sore about her breaking in to your place. I had nothing to do with that just so you know. I guess we'll talk about this in more detail later." Qrow relaxed and scratched the back of his head.

"Leave!" Max shouted as he turned to walk away.

"I'm going, I'm going. If you want to talk more you can find me at Ashford." Qrow said blowing off max's warning and informing him of where they'd meet up later for their discussion.

"I'm not leaving without my weapon, that's twice now!" Raven snarled to her brother.

"Yeah twice he kicked your ass and this time he did it even faster than before! If it wasn't for that little kid over there you wouldn't still be breathing!" Qrow did not want to put up with her shit.

"I had it under control!" Raven kept on pressing the issue.

"I call complete and total bullshit on that, you really are blind sis! The guy had a gun to your head for the second time in a row and you're still alive!" Qrow berated his ignorant/psychotic sister.

"He just proved he's weak by letting me go for the second time!" She shouted at Qrow who was carrying her out of the garage.

"No, he proved he can take you on no matter how many times you keep coming back! so just let it go!" Qrow ordered to Raven.

"I want my sword back, that's it." Raven growled.

"Obviously you won't get it." Qrow stated the seemingly obvious.

"Oi you two slagheads over there!" Bruz shouted to the quarreling siblings.

"What do you want kid?!" Qrow shouted back.

"The boss says for you to take this back! If it were up to me I'd keep it, but then again, it's just a magnet for trouble. Now get off my property slagheads!" Bruz said to the Branwen siblings as he threw the sword at their feet.

"Why didn't your boss want to do this himself, too busy?" Qrow asked sarcastically.

"More like tired of dealing with nosy types, like yourselves." Bruz narrowed his eyes.

"I'm sure my sister appreciates it." Qrow said avoiding his sister's spiteful gaze.

"Whatever, now get lost. Nosy huntsman pukes such as yourself make me want to cough my dinner up. Plus, you're the sister of someone who snuffs out people for no damn reason other than because she can. Count yourselves lucky the boss let you go." Bruz rudely spat at Qrow as the garage door slid shut and the Branwens went their separate ways.

"Oi boss, why you smell like disappointment and anger?" Bruz noted something slightly different about Max. They both had no idea what Raven had done before their battle with her.

"Doesn't matter, make sure the car's ready." Max ignored Bruz's observation and kept on walking back to his room to take inventory of his current weapon's stock to make sure the only thing Raven had taken was her sword.

"Got it boss!" Bruz replied as he got his tools and started hammering out the dents. Anya walked with Dinki-di back to the room. The dog licked her hand affectionately and she smiled. They went back to sleep, with the dog laying on Anya's bed to keep her company. Max had a scowl on his face that Raven had come into the ship and tried to steal from him. He had no idea just how close he'd been to death by her blade a short time ago. The road warrior reached his room and inspected his shotguns for any damage or need of repairs. The guns were fine and so he sharpened his Machete with a whetstone to take his mind off of what was going on. He pondered why Qrow had intervened when he did, they were family from what he said, but obviously not very close. He decided to hear Qrow out once more tomorrow and finish setting the terms for the agreement if there was going to be one at all. But that would be after some other leads had been followed.

-With Qrow-

After Raven had left in a huff with her sword, Qrow flew back to Ashford to sleep at the local inn, get another drink, and make another call, not in that order. The veteran huntsman sat down on at the bar after setting up his sleeping arrangements. He had a stiff drink and went over to the phone, he made sure he was still able to talk without slurring of course.

"Hey Oz, it's Qrow." The drunkard said over the secure line.

"I wasn't expecting to hear from you so soon. I suppose there's good news?" Ozpin hazarded a guess.

"I think he might be on board, we just need to work out the rest of the details first. It was nice to see my sister get her ass kicked again." Qrow gave Ozpin the good news.

"Good, at least we're making some headway on this matter. SO where has our new friend been staying?" Ozpin was happy to hear that and asked Qrow about Max's living arrangements.

"Yeah, the guy's hanging around an old beached SDC freighter. He has a nice setup there, the older kid seemed to be the one who got there first from how he said it was his property. So, I'm guessing they met on the road somewhere." Qrow told Ozpin.

"I believe that young man may have a bright future ahead of him here at beacon." Ozpin stated his opinion.

"I wouldn't count on it Oz. Kid seemed to have a real grudge against people in our line of work." Qrow told the wise headmaster of the boy's opinion on huntsman.

"I will be the judge of that Qrow, I believe his view can change if he studies here. In your last report you mentioned a young girl, correct?" Ozpin said calmly and asked Qrow about Max's other child.

"I did Oz, but I don't think she's one, and if she is she probably has yet to find out." Qrow deadpanned.

"Never the less, we must continue as we have." Ozpin continued.

"Yeah Oz, by the way, does the name Griffa mean anything to you?" Qrow asked curiously.

"Perhaps, why?" Ozpin raised an eyebrow.

"He met Raven, and I think he might've known I was watching too." Qrow informed his associate.

"I see…" Ozpin trailed off.

"Who is he?" Qrow asked.

"That can wait for later Qrow." Ozpin said coolly.

"Understood Oz, Qrow out." Qrow said as he ended the call and went to the inn to sleep.

-END CHAPTER-


	11. Detour of destruction

Mad Max: Road to Salvation

Episode 11: Detour of destruction

* * *

[SilentXD7: People can surprise you, and it all depends on if a mini max enters the world.]

[SilentType1997: I wish I could give a straight answer at this point.]

[Charles: Thanks and I'll keep that in mind.]

[Review dude: Thanks, and well the mystic has his way of getting around so maybe he will.]

[Guest 1: Yes, she did.]

[Guest 2: That's possible, not saying no but definitely maybe.]

[Guest 3: So do I but I'm just not sure.]

[Guest 4: of that I have no doubt, if Yang were to find out she and Ruby have a new baby brother/sister.]

[ClearwingYuta: Thank you.]

[Helomsby: She did, and she did it because she wanted him but he was out of her reach. So she took what she could get.]

[Cloneguy: you'd be surprised and thank you.]

[Sam Hill: some people can sleep through an earthquake.]

[Skelebro: Yeah he did it even faster this time.]

[Awesomerebel55: Yeah they did but max doesn't know it.]

* * *

The day started with everyone getting a bite from Max's supply and Bruz turning on the TV he'd acquired. They watched the news again but nothing useful came on the screen, mostly things about the white fang and some criminal activity. Max thought to himself that this business was starting to spiral out of control, and now he and his crew were at the center of it, whatever it is. He, the kids, and dog, finished their food and hopped into the car to head to Ashford. As they drove along the highway to Ashford, Max contemplated the whole ordeal in his head. Qrow's offer was very tempting, but how did he know he could be trusted.

On the one hand it would be better to have less enemies to deal with, if Qrow's associate was as influential as he'd been led to believe. But it would mean allying himself with someone whose goals were unknown, and that made things very unpredictable for Max. Picking the wrong side of this shadowy conspiracy could be unhealthy. Max then saw several very familiar symbols along the road, mystical symbols. The road warrior knew there was only entity who used these, his old acquaintance Griffa. He saw a secluded hill surrounded by several boulders large enough to block vehicle access. The symbols pointed directly there to the hill near the road. Max pulled off and stopped the car next to the small trail, and hopped out.

"Stay here and guard the car, I'll be back." Max said as he walked away from the interceptor.

"Okay daddy hurry back." Anya waved to Max.

"Woof!" Dinki-di barked to his master.

Max walked up the trail, hearing he same old whispers and voices when he approached Griffa's location. Max shrugged them off and made his way to the mystic. Griffa was standing there, staring out into the vast sea of ruins and sand. Max sighed as he took the final steps to Griffa and stopped right next to his old friend. The two wasteland wanderers watched the howling wind swirl the dust, and churn the sand, just like ghosts moving across the land.

"It's good to see you again wanderer, I trust you have questions for me once more as you did before." Griffa grinned.

"I have questions, but not for you." Max said stoically.

"Ah yes, the forces of world have tangled you in their web. There are chains of events set in motion that are beyond comprehension of those who have yet to be enlightened on their clandestine nature, like yourself. The mysteries of this world abound, and the questions are constantly provided, yet no simple answers seem to reveal themselves. This world and it denizens truly are marvelous, far different from the madness that we have left behind…"

"It has yet to die, the people still have hope."

"There are forces at work here, a powerfully dark presence threatens the stability here. I cannot interfere, it is not my place, not directly at least. The light of this world has seen fit to enlist your aid, have they not?" Griffa said as he turned to face Max.

"How does this involve me? I have no stake in this conflict of light and shadows." Max said defiantly.

"I'm afraid you have more invested in this war then you understand here and now. What has happened, can and will happen again, just as it did before. This world has an ever-present blade of darkness inching closer to its throat by the day. History shall repeat itself, reaping what was sowed upon all, including you, should her malevolent plans come to fruition. We shall all pay the price, should she and her minions succeed in their bid to snuff out the light. I can already see the madness on the horizon, ready to consume and corrupt this wonderful world. It is not too late, this chain of events can be halted or perhaps at least altered, should you choose to carve your righteous path of fury through it all again." Griffa warned Max of the impending doom, urging him to take up his role once more.

"I won't let that happen, not again. Not while I'm still breathing. No one will take them away from me again." Max said with a blazing fire of determination in his eyes.

"Your new family and renewed sense of purpose, they are your strength. I see you've decided to stop running, haven't you? The madness that crawls inside, the demons and specters that haunt you have begun to cease their grasp on your soul, I'd call that progress. To save yourself, you must protect what you have found once more. There is still more to find though, your search for salvation and the struggle of this world are intertwined with one another. It is up to you though to grab your destiny and do what others cannot by themselves. I shall leave you with a parting gift, until we meet again wanderer." Griffa said in his usual cryptic tone before blowing dust into max's face, and disappearing. Max found himself on all fours again as he usually would whenever he had a chat with Griffa. The road warrior stood up, and went back to the interceptor, with a new long-term mission on his mind.

Max drove along the highway and turned his head back to Anya in the back who was napping peacefully with Dinki-di. He refocused on the road, his eyes resumed their serious wolf-like nature. A short distance up the road, gunshots rang out and the roar of engines could be heard. Max hit the brakes, causing the interceptor to skid to a halt. Bruz woke with a start. "What, we're here? Why are we stopped in the middle of the des-?" The teenage mechanic said as the gunshots echoed rapidly and the gnashing of vehicles battling each other could be heard.

Max put the pedal to the floor again and drove to a hill nearby to get a tactical view of what was happening ahead. He stopped as he saw an armored car with the white fang symbol being harassed by another white fang truck and buggies. It seemed that perhaps the armored truck was being protected by a woman on a strange form of assault bike. The female rider of the bike was weaving in and out of the mob of angry white fang members chasing the car. Using what looked like handguns, she began popping the tires on some of the buggies, causing them to spin out or flip over. She transformed one of said guns into a tonfa, while holstering the other, and began smacking white fang members on dirt bikes who appeared and began challenging her. She was very good at combat driving, but sheer numbers in the mob of angry white fang members were starting to overwhelm her.

Max was torn on what he should do, the wastelander within him reminded the road warrior that it just wasn't his problem, and there were more important matters to take care of. But then a new voice made itself manifest, one he had only begun to hear from again, his sense of duty as a former man of the badge in the days before the fall. That voice argued for him to help out the woman on the bike. Bruz helped the wastelander's side of argument. "Ah, one of them damn huntresses, it looks like whatever she's done, stirred a beowolf's den with all those bloody fangers. Not our problem boss, and frankly I don't want to deal with them right now." Max agreed they had somewhere else to be.

"We can't just leave them! The white fang would do horrible things if they get caught. We have to do something." Any shouted urgently. The Law man in Max urged him to do the right thing, while his honed survival instincts held their ground in defiance of this idea. Max finally made the choice after much internal debate, and decided to aid the people struggling against the white fang. He gritted his teeth as he stomped on the pedal and blasted down the hill to the highway. Anya cheered on her surrogate father's righteous action and grabbed the rifle, assuming her shooting position. Bruz just sighed and loaded the cylinder in his gunbow, ready for battle. Max passed his weapons back to Anya, who loaded them with fire dust shells and passed them back to Max.

-Several minutes earlier-

Mari and Amy Futaba had gone to save a friend of theirs from the white fang, and had to also bring along their child Daniel. The two of them owed the former white fang member, Krel Bastion. He had saved their lives from the white fang a few days ago, as he had been sent to kill them but refused and instead aided their escape. Mari is a beautiful 26-year-old fox Faunus, with fox ears on her head, and long flowing orange hair. She stood at 5'11 with a well hidden medium sized bust. Her attire consisted of a long black coat with orange trimmings, and thigh high boots, along with a dark orange and white corset, and yellow scarf. Amy is 25 and somewhat short at 5'7, with short neck length Silver Hair, a large sized (but well hidden) bust and maroon colored eyes. She wears a red Sweater, dark black pants and boots.

They had been following Krel's trail for a while and managed to locate their missing savior in a white fang warehouse. Krel is a muscular 34-year-old bear Faunus, who stands tall at 6'4, with brown hair, bear ears, and a rough beard, as well as 3 claw marks scarred across his face that he got from a fight with an alpha beowolf. His gear consisted of black cargo pants with matching combat boots and an olive-green vest and gloves to show off his bare muscular arms.

He bore a mark of reason against the white fang that had been branded on his back for his refusal to carryout his orders to kill the former huntress Mari Futaba and her family. In a fit of rage, he attacked his fellow members to buy the family time to get away. After he was captured he was brought before Khan, with Adam Taurus and his underling Blake Belladonna present, and was branded for turning traitor. They threw him into the back of an armored car that had been stolen from Atlas and repainted with white fang colors and chained down the mighty bear Faunus. The plan was for him to sent off to one of their facilities to be imprisoned, but before that could happen, Mari, and Amy snuck into the warehouse. Amy boarded the truck and started the engine, while Mari stood ready on her bike. The guards spotted them and alerted the rest of their comrades. Amy wasted no time and floored the pedal to escape the building, with Mari following close behind. They thought they had managed to outrun the white fang and picked up Amy's son Daniel on the way. But soon enough, their pursuers had found them and the chase was on.

-back to the present-

Now more white fang vehicles where coming after them. Mari smacked a lizard faunas in the face and off his dirt bike as he tried to swing an axe down on her head. Amy, with her scarf covering half of her face, was in the middle of a shoving match with a big flat-bed truck as they battled to stay on the dirt highway as white fang members tried to get into the armored car by climbing over the thing and get in through the passenger door, only to meet a hail of bullets as Amy unloaded her SMG she scavenged from one of the guards. The hail of lead sent one unlucky guy tumbling onto the asphalt, killing him.

"Daniel! Stay in back the honey!" Amy said as she tried to juggle staying on the road and keeping the white fang off. Daniel was in the back with a chained up and in pain Krel. Daniel was slightly scared of the man's large size rather than his demeanor. Krel noticed this and attempted to comfort the kid as he tried to tell him how to help get him out of his chains. Krel told Daniel to step back and began thrashing around, desperately trying to break the chains the white fang had locked him up with. His weapon (rumbling mountain), a mighty Warhammer that could transform into a 20mm auto cannon with 15 per magazine, had also been left in the back of the truck with him for some reason. Krel heaved and grunted angrily against his binds causing them to give way slightly. Krel could feel the chains loosen bit by bit and eventually they snapped. He stumbled over to his weapon and checked it for any remaining ammunition and grinned at the fact that the grunts were dumb enough to forget to remove the magazine. He kicked open the rear doors of the truck and began firing at the white fang vehicles.

Mari was busy dealing with another group of bikes, and a single buggy managed to get past her. The zealous white fang driver attempted to pit maneuver the Armored beast. Suddenly out of nowhere, Max T-boned the buggy, practically breaking the frame in half and sending its occupant flying. At first everyone was surprised, but this gave Amy just enough time to get the initiative and she rammed the flatbed into an old power transmission tower. The badly wrecked flatbed truck exploded in a huge display of fire and flames. Max pulled up next to Mari and signaled for her help him take down the stragglers. Mari nodded and they teamed up to brutally destroy the white fang bikers. Any shot one in the head, sending him to the pavement and breaking his neck. Bruz fired his gunbow's explosive bolts, and sent another two bikers skyward. Max finished it up by using his sawed off to take down the last biker. With their white fang problem neutralized, the small convoy halted and pulled off of the road. Mari walked over to Max's interceptor to thank him for his assistance. As she approached, Max opened the door and stepped out of the car.

"Thanks for the help back there, appreciate it. Hey wait, you look familiar. I think I saw you on the news, yeah that's it, you're the road warrior." Mari thanked and recognized Max, as his reputation preceded him.

"Why were the white fang after you?" Max asked her getting straight to the point.

"See the big guy over in the back of the truck? He's a good friend of my wife and myself. To make a long story short, they wanted to lock him up so we set him free." Mari pointed to Krel who was paling around with Daniel.

"I'm headed to Ashford, if you want you can follow me, or go your own way, it's up to you." Max said as he started walking back to the car.

"Thanks, I'll go tell my wife Amy." Mari said as she ran over to the cab of the truck. She told Amy what they were going to do and hopped back on her while Max fired the interceptor back up.

-END CHAPTER-


	12. Setting terms

Mad Max: Road to salvation

Episode 12: Setting terms

* * *

A/N: The updates for this story will slow down since its getting difficult to juggle this story along with the others.

[EnriksD8: Thank you very much and I promise I will do my best!]

[Sam Hill: I had considered that, so maybe he will.]

[6 finger: 2 whole years before.]

[Charles: It's possible.]

[SilentXD7: Oh yeah that would be funny but it's still a big if.]

[Guest 1: I know that, but its the thought that counts.]

[awsomerebel55: Yes they are, but who can say really at this point what may happen until it catches up, and i'm not sure how winter is likely to act.]

[Guest 2: the thought of it never even entered my mind, besides Yang like to make (puns) laughs, and who laughs better than a hyena faunas like Bruz? But then again on that subject, Bruz might fall for a certain little bunny instead or maybe even both.]

* * *

Max and his newest entourage were rolling down the highway to Ashford in a small convoy formation with the interceptor out in front while Mari brought up the rear on her bike with the armored car in the middle. The drive was smooth since they had dealt with the white fang who were chasing them. It seemed quiet to max, almost too quiet. Ashford was coming into view so there wasn't too much chance of any attacks in town since almost everyone here seemed to have and know how to handle a weapon. The road warrior kept alert, since his years in the wasteland taught him to expect the unexpected. Bruz had gone back to sleep, while Anya was taking inventory of their ammo reserves. Dinki-di licked her playfully and she scratched him behind the ears, the dog lolled his tongue happily.

Max sighed to himself in deep thought, now there were more people depending on him. He didn't like it being his responsibility, but he just had to deal with it. The white fang and their rejects were becoming a nuisance he'd have to exterminate when time came. He'd systematically dealt with Scrotus and the war boys back in gas town, not to mention helping Furiosa kill immortan joe, so tearing apart the white fang would be pretty much the same. All he'd have to do is find information on their hideouts, and the rest was simple. That one with the horns would be trouble though, and then there was the cat girl who tried to hitch a ride.

Whoever they were, it was clear they'd picked a fight with the wrong ex-cop. Max now had enough experience for dealing with sword wielders thanks to his fights with Raven so he would be more than match for the bull. The cat girl though would be trouble, she seemed to be far more agile than stank gum or tenderloin, not to mention she had a pistol at her disposal for ranged combat. It was a good thing for him that he had a logbook to record all this intel, otherwise it would be hard to keep track of all the useful facts he collected. These white fang rejects seemed to have far more organization than Roadkill, he gave them that much, but they had nothing on the war boys, top dogs, and immortans. If anything, only the higher ups in the upper echelons would prove to be a real threat.

The difficult part would be hunting them down as it appeared they are a somewhat secretive organization, since it was obvious the authorities had yet to track them down. That was where his new leads and police experience would come in. If you want to track down criminals and terrorists, the easiest way is to 'persuade' a criminal to inform you. But the problem with that was where he'd find one. Little did he know, one such lead was right under his nose in the back of the truck behind the interceptor. The convoy crossed the limits of Ashford, and they all parked in a nearby alley off the street. Max hopped out of the car and decided to go speak with Qrow.

"I'm going, everyone, stay here until I get back." Max ordered to his temporarily expanded crew. Dinki-di barked, while Anya and Bruz gave little salutes. Krel stayed in the back of the truck with Daniel while Amy began to see to his wounds.

"Hey wait up, I want to go with you." Mari said as she got off of her bike.

"Fine." Max allowed it. The two of them proceeded down the alley to bar where max was supposed to meet with Qrow. Both of them were unaware that they were being watched. Max had his suspicions though, he'd learned from experience when a pair of unwelcome eyes was studying him. Whoever they belonged to was decent at staying hidden in plain sight. The road warrior cracked his neck and loosened up his joints just in case.

"So, tell me handsome, how'd you get so good at driving anyway?" Mari tried to make small talk.

"None of your business." Max stoically replied, he didn't want to talk about the past.

"Alright then touchy, I didn't catch your name by the way." Mari backed off and tried asking for his name.

"Because I didn't tell you." Max refused to share.

"That's how it going to be, huh?" Mari asked in frustration.

"Yes." Max replied bluntly.

"You really don't talk much do you?" Mari asked the road warrior.

"No, I don't have anything to say unless it needs to be said." Max said stoically.

"Well it'd be polite if you at least tell me your name." Mari said expectantly.

"It would be." Max brushed her off.

"Then say it." Mari crossed her arms.

"Doesn't I mean I would, and neither do I have to." Max rudely replied.

"Then what am I supposed to call you?" Mari put her hands on her hips.

"Doesn't matter." Max said as they kept on walking. The watcher wasn't getting much information on her target other than that he was secretive. She continued following them to the bar by the way of the rooftops. They reached the door and Max snapped his view back to the roof of the building on the opposite side of the street.

"What's up?" The fox faunas raised an eyebrow.

"Were being followed, I don't know who's doing it but its best we get off the street." The road warrior said as he scanned the rooftops for movement.

"I get you, wait for them to come to us later." Mari smiled as she understood Max's plan.

"Exactly, now get inside the bar." Max ordered to his associate as they entered the establishment. Max took his previous seat at the bar and the bartender poured him a drink. It was free of charge for him bouncing the chumps from last time. Max nodded to the bartender in thanks and started chugging down the beer. Mari had a lien card with her and ordered her own drink. Qrow revealed himself and walked over to the two of them. He sat down next the road warrior and ordered a double shot of whiskey.

"Well I see you're in the mood to chat now right?" The dust old crow said as he looked over to the road warrior.

"If we have to then fine, the deal. I go with you to meet this friend of yours and everyone backs off." Max said shrewdly.

"Yeah, the legit ones at least, that's part 1 of my, or should I say his, end of the bargain. Free room and board's the other, that's if you want in on this when you meet him." Qrow said honestly.

"I want more than promises." Max narrowed his eyes.

"He figured you'd say that, that's just the start. If you're in then there's a lot more waiting for ya. Heh, maybe even a special kind of job." Qrow leaned on the counter.

"I know you teach at a combat school, so I'm guessing you mean a job as a teacher, don't you?" Max put two and two together.

"Well, you're smarter than you look. I guess that's why you got the best of me and my sister, not to mention the white fang, or that atlas floozie Winter. I can't exactly say you won't still have to deal with them occasionally, but only as part of the job. Other than that, you'd be sleeping somewhere they wouldn't dream of risking their necks attacking you, with quality digs I might add." Qrow admitted the catches of the agreement.

"Where might that be exactly?" Max asked him curiously.

"If its not obvious then I won't spoil it." Qrow refused to tell.

"I think he means at either a huntsman academy, or a combat school." Mari poked a hole in Qrow's attempt at being enigmatic.

"And who are you doll-face?" Qrow raised an eyebrow at the pretty fox faunas.

"Mari Futaba, ex-huntress and way out of your league bird brain. I already have a wife anyway." The female fox faunas said with her nose in the air.

"That's just too bad for me then." Qrow crossed his arms and smirked.

"We're getting off the subject Qrow, which one?" Max tried to get the conversation back on track.

"She just pointed it out detective, Beacon academy." Qrow deadpanned.

"You must know Ozpin then." Mari made an educated guess.

"You're making this whole keeping my job a secret really hard. You know that beautiful?" Qrow was annoyed but still flirted.

"Who is this man, this Ozpin, and why does he want my help?" Max asked the dusty old crow.

"He's the guy who runs beacon and a good friend of mine." Qrow replied.

"The reason, Qrow." Max growled impatiently.

"Top secret, if you want to know the why then you have to come with me." Qrow said coolly.

"You're making this difficult, I can make it simple. Tell me what I want to know or I leave." The road warrior said with a scowl.

"I get that patience isn't your strong suit but hold on, before you say no, that bounty can go away and I heard you outran an atlas flunkey I happen to know. Make no mistake, she'll keep coming after you until her boss tells her stop. Oz can make that go away if you're in." Qrow replied figuratively twisting Max's arm.

"If I'm out?" Max asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Then the offer stays open, Winter keeps on trying to catch you, bounty hunters and the white fang too, and you'll have to get there on your own. Oh, wait that's right you could just call this number and a bullhead would come to pick you up." Qrow went over the consequences if Max refused and handed him a card.

"Those flyers I keep seeing?" Max asked as he took a swig from his drink.

"Yeah, duh. You've been out in the sun too long, haven't you? But anyway, what's it going to be?" Qrow mocked Max's intelligence and asked as he leaned hi back against the counter.

"I have a better deal, Ozpin stops Atlas and the bounties, I take care of the white fang problem here in Vacuo. We have a common enemy, so let handle them as I see fit." Max gulped down his beer and made a counter offer to Qrow.

"I'd say you have a deal if I thought you could do it, and if it were up to me. Everybody's been trying to take them down these days and so far, nobody has made any real progress. Even atlas and hardworking huntsman and huntresses like myself, and your lovely associate haven't gotten very far. Their like rats, you get one two more show up, and they bite you back in the ass." Qrow retorted sourly.

"You'd be surprised at what I'm capable of." Max countered citing his past police experience.

"I'll give you this much, you made a dent in their operations here already with that stunt you pulled a few days back. Saving those SDC guys put you on everyone's radar, and the shit list of the wrong crowd. But this is bigger than you know wheel jockey, you talk the talk alright. I'll give you that much, but this shit will take more than a disgruntled ex-cop. Yeah, I see it on you. Whatever kind of law man you used to be, it'll take a lot more than that."

"You don't what I've suffered though so I suggest you don't go poking your nose where it doesn't belong. My past is none of your concern got it?" Max snarled at Qrow's prodding at the road warrior's sordid history of flowing blood, arid scorched sand, and unimaginable pain and suffering beyond his darkest nightmares.

"Oh boohoo, whatever happened to you? What was so bad that makes you act like this huh?" Qrow insulted Max, which was a big mistake.

"THEY TOOK MY FAMILY FROM ME! Do you have any idea what it's like to watch everything important to you vanish right before eyes?! They took it all… everything that was ever important to me. All of it, even what I had left that was hidden in the ashes was taken eventually." Max stood up roaring in unbridled anger at Qrow, before feeling the beginning of tears in his eyes, and sitting back down. Max breathed deeply and pushed down his inner rage into the space where he buries most of his emotions. Everyone in the bar gasped at the scene and what they'd heard erupt from the normally stoic man's mouth. A few turned their heads away in sorrow, while others raised their glasses in solidarity with Max's misery. Some of the patrons even glared at Qrow and booed him for his prying. It was clear the bargoers were on Max's side, some of them drank for a reason after all, just like his own. Everyone loses people, but not everyone remembers or respects that fact all the time.

"Woah, ok maybe I went too far. But riddle me this, if you lost everything then how'd you get what you've got now?" Qrow backed off and then asked the scarred wanderer of how he came to find his new family. The patrons also heard Qrow's apology and backed down, though some held a small grudge.

"The dog found me, I found a new car, then Anya found me, and then Bruz and I worked together to beat that woman who was probably from this atlas place. The rest you know." Max said calmly with his usual stoic attitude returning to normal.

"Alright, that explains a few things except for where you came from. There are no records of you, or even someone like you anywhere, which makes you a ghost. Someone with your skills normally has a career as a huntsman, but you are a cop. There's no hiding that fact about you at all, you walk like a cop and act like a cop. If anything you seem like ex-swat, but even those guys aren't that good. So just who in the hell trained you to fight?" Qrow asked Max of his origins in a slightly better manner than before.

"That's very bloody and very ancient history. I'd prefer to leave the past where it belongs, so don't push it like that ever again." Max growled to Qrow with a slight hint of lingering anger.

"I'll cut you some slack then, sorry about the whole being an asshole, I didn't know. But hey that's kind of my thing." Qrow smiled sympathetically.

"You didn't, so never do it again, and we won't have this problem ever again." Max said after he took a calming breath, and let his anger go for the time being.

"So, are you in or out?" Qrow asked him one more time.

-END CHAPTER-


	13. Stranger Things

Mad Max: Road to Salvation

Episode 13: Stranger things

* * *

[JP922: That's a bit harsh and no, an associate if you will.]

[Guest 1: Kind of.]

[Review dude: I guess you could say Max is going soft and decided to show restraint, and only time will tell if something will come of that one night stand.]

[Clearwingyuta: Thank you.]

[6 finger: maybe eventually down the road.]

[Guest 2: Afraid not, no crafty lizard, but rather a sneaky kitty cat.]

[Guest 3: He will and we shall get there but it's long road between here and there.]

[EnriksD8: Well thanks, and yeah it was a dick move on Qrow's part, and there's something special planned for that particular event.]

[Guest 4: you'll see.]

* * *

"Call Ozpin." Max answered Qrow's question.

"So, you're in then?" Qrow leaned over towards Max with an eyebrow raised.

"I want to discuss this, and if I agree, we do it my way." Max said after he took another drink.

"Alright, I'll let him know. But first I need your real name buddy, if we're going to work together that's how it has to be." Qrow gave Max an ultimatum and leaned back in on the bar again.

"No, that's not the deal." Max refused.

"Not this time pal, need your name. Otherwise this isn't going to work out for either of us." Qrow stood his ground on the matter.

"Fine, … it's Max, my name is Max Rockatansky." Max sighed and with much reluctance allowed Qrow to know his true full name. The road warrior took another long drink from his glass and slammed it down on the counter.

"It's about damn time, nice to meet ya Maxxy." Qrow extended his hand to Max for a hand shake.

"This does not mean we're friends, and don't call me that." Max said in annoyance and glared at Qrow, refusing to shake his hand.

"Sheesh, I know you've had a raw deal but all I'm trying to do here is have a friendly conversation." Qrow backed off and threw an annoyed look at Max.

"Get me in contact with Ozpin, then the real discussion begins. Otherwise our business here is done Qrow." Max stood up from the bar stool and made for the door.

"If it's not too much to ask, could you make my life easier and just stick around Ashford until then, ok?" Qrow cracked his neck griped.

"Fine, come on Mari, back to the vehicles." Max grunted to his lovely fox faunas compatriot.

"Alright Maxxy boy." Mari chuckled as she got up from her seat and followed Max out the door that they came in through earlier.

"Don't call me that, ever again." Max growled as he opened the door and walked outsider to the street.

"Whatever you say killer."

"Grr." Max growled in annoyance as the two of them returned to the vehicles. The two of them walked along casually with the road warrior receiving a few stares and signs of recognition along the way. Then when they reached the alleyway, the same pair of unwelcome eyes observed them again, Max felt his sixth sense flare up and fired his guns the unwanted observer. Max heard a yelp of pain come from the direction of his shots. A familiar and un-friendly cat faunas fell from the perch where she had been observing her targets. Blake recovered and use her shadow clones to avoid Max's charge. She tried to get behind him to take him down.

Max saw that coming and backhanded her, knocking her away. She landed in a roll and ran at Max again, taking to the air. Max ducked and fired his guns sending her flying straight up and stunning her. She fell down towards Max, he reacted quickly while she was stunned, grabbed her by the neck, and slammed her against a brick wall. She kicked him in the face hard, causing him be blinded briefly and let her go. She swung gambol shroud at him only for it to be grabbed and yanked violently pulling her with it. Max threw a haymaker as she flew towards him, slamming her to the ground and leaving a Blake shaped depression in the ground.

Blake shook it off and rolled away as Max's fist collided with the ground. She kicked his feet out from under him and grabbed gambol shroud to try stabbing him. Max barely avoided getting stuck by the sword and gut punched his attacker, winding her severely. Max jumped to his feet and swung his good leg at Blake's side. Max was proving to her he is definitely an expert in doling out serious amounts of unrelenting pain. He held her by the throat, choking her slightly he tightened his grip ever so slowly. Blake tried to talk but it was so hard to breathe and she felt a bit frightened from looking a death walker straight in the eyes.

"You…" Max trailed off as he narrowed his eyes at Blake, almost as if he was staring straight into her soul.

"Hrk, *Cough* let *Gasp* Me *choke* go." Blake tried to speak as Max's grip tightened around her wind pipe.

"Well, well, the little kitten who hangs out with that horn headed asshole. Tsk, tsk, I thought you were smarter than that kitty cat." Mari shook her head at the teenager.

"You know her?" Max turned his slightly in Mari's direction.

"Only through the grapevine from Krel. This naughty little kitty is Blake Belladonna, the daughter of the white fang's old boss Ghira. But that was back when they were about being peaceful though, now it's khan. She's got a real death-wish if she wants to pick a fight with tough S.O.B.s like us. So, little kitty, spin us the yarn of why you're here, or else." Mari sad to max and then glared at the young cat faunas.

"Or else what?" Blake choked out in spite.

"He gets mad. Right Max?" Mari looked to max who twisted his face in anger.

"You just said my name in front of the enemy!" Max shouted at Mari without taking his eyes off of Blake.

"Ooh, whoops. Sorry Max." Mari said with a sweat drop on her face. The road warrior sighed and rolled his eyes, loosening his grip on Blake's throat to let her talk.

"Why are you working with this human against your own kind? And you, why do you have a faunas child with you?! Did you kidnap her?!" Blake shouted at max before he nearly crushed her windpipe in anger.

"Hold on big guy, don't kill her. We still need her to talk first." Mari stayed max's hand. "Good Max. as for you kitten, we are the ones asking the questions here, so either shut up or spill it already." Mari said casually with her arms crossed over her chest in a sultry manner.

"How can you let him treat me like this?!" Blake shouted indignantly.

"No, no, we ask, not you. But if you must know, you came after us. So, as far as this case goes, it's self-defense. Plus, you're a terrorist punk who thinks murdering innocents is what causes the change you want. Especially that horn head you work with who felt that torturing my bear friend was fun." Mari lectured the insolent child on how the world works from her point of view.

"This is self-defense to you?!" Blake was in shock as she looked Mari in her eyes.

"I suppose this is really dealing with a pest, a pest who has to be taught a serious lesson. Don't you know it's rude to eavesdrop young lady? Besides, I hate the white fang with good reason, so whatever romanticizing they have done with you, is a lie." Mari schooled Blake. That stirred some thoughts within Blake's mind.

"I'm just a pest to you?!" Blake shouted in unwelcome surprise.

"To me yes, him… well you're a threat, and he's got a little adopted daughter to look after. How do you think a parent deals with a potential threat to their child young one, him especially? Violently of course, I know I'd do the same to protect my family." Mari shrugged as she explained the ways of protective grown-ups to the cat girl. Blake was done with this and started thinking of a way out of her predicament. She looked at the angry man holding her, and under her mask she bore a look of fear. She knew she couldn't bite his hand due to the spiked leather glove. Finally, Blake accepted and decided to play along until a way out came along.

"If you answer my questions, I'll answer yours." Blake conceded.

"Not an-" Mari started to say until Max cut her off.

"Fine." Max said firmly.

"The little girl I saw before, who is she to you?" Blake asked Max

"… I… she…" Max was at loss for words. This stuttering left Blake with slightly different impression of him, perhaps he really is just a protective parent.

"She's his everything. Now it's your turn punk." Mari answered for him.

"*sigh* I came here to learn more about you and now I have." Blake replied and Max loosened his grip letting her fall to the floor.

"Never come after me or anywhere near us again, or I will beat you to within an inch of your pathetic excuse for a would be short and wasted life. Mari come on we have to go." Max said coldly to Blake and then ordered to his foxy female associate. Blake summoned some nerve and glared at the man who walked through the shadow of the valley of death. She had to know, nothing would dissuade her from the answers of whether or not he was just another bigot or decent person.

"You got it boss man." Mari said as she followed Max.

"Wait, is it true? Do you really think the world of that girl? Can you even tell me her name?" Blake used her summoned courage to ask the road warrior, who briefly stopped in his tracks to answer her.

"Her name is Anya, and I do." Max said before continuing his walk with Mari back to the convoy. Blake rose up from the ground and dusted herself off. She ran up the wall to the rooftops to make her way back to her fellow white fang members. It was clear she did not want to piss that man off, otherwise he'd do much worse than kill her, that would come last. She reasoned to herself that no one should, otherwise they'll end up roadkill. If he could take her down that fast, then how would Adam fare any better against him? It didn't make sense to her, how could humans be the enemy if he, a human, would work with so closely with a faunas, and so furiously protect a little faunas girl like he said he was doing. She pondered the matter in her head as she ran across the rooftops. If the little faunas girl she saw truly meant that much to him, then evidence was starting to mount to the contrary of what she believed. He could have killed her, and it wouldn't have bothered him at all. She could tell and perhaps it was coming time for her to start asking questions of her brothers and sisters of the white fang.

Back with Max and Mari, the road warrior was not happy with Mari giving away sensitive information to the enemy so carelessly. The foxy fox apologized up and down to her angry associate over and over. They returned to the cars and Max took some much-needed rest in the interceptor. He had a lot of things on his mind and needed to clear his head. He couldn't go anywhere so sleep was the best option. Bruz was working on the car while Max dozed and Anya played with Dinki-di. Then she met with Daniel who after timidly saying hi joined in the fun with her. They were just being kids, with Amy and Mari watching over them like two mother hens. Krel was busy working with his gun hammer so he wanted to be left alone for a little while too. It seemed like they were all getting busy being one big happy family.

Max began to dream to himself, in this dream he saw memories of better times. His days as a cop, his wife and infant son, all before it was taken from him by the psychotic bikers on whom he wreaked his vengeance. Max felt it, that familiar warm feeling when Anya appeared in his dream singing her little songs to him. but then his pleasant dream began to darken, he then saw the dreamscape change to one of darkness and misery. A female figure of pure evil made its presence known in his mind.

"It will be destroyed and I shall be the one to destroy the light." The dark figure chuckled sinisterly.

"No, I won't ever let that happen! Hear me daemon, I as long as I'm still breathing, it will never happen again! Not you, not the white fang, no one will take it away from me! Do you hear me?!" Max shouted as he grabbed his guns and fired at his enemy. The dark queen's eyes glowed red in ire as she turned to face the furious mortal.

"Who might you be mortal?" She said with venom in her voice, every syllable laced with poison.

"Your worst nightmare…" Max trailed off as a ghostly white aura began to surround him and his soul manifested with a burst of righteous and unrestrained fury.

"Do you really think you stand a chance mortal? This farce is hardly even an annoyance." Salem scoffed and narrowed her eyes, that was when Max awoke from his dream several hours after he had gone to sleep. He looked around vigorously and breathed a sigh of relief. Max saw Mari acting out a story of hers to entertain the others with the help of Bruz. The hyena faunas, was clearly not enjoying it that much, Max could tell. Anya, Daniel, and Krel were enjoying it rather well. He got up and went over to Amy who was sitting on the opposite side of the fire. Am noticed the road warrior sit down next to her and scooted up next to him to talk.

"You know...Max was it? That's your name, from what Mari told me right?" Amy tried to strike a conversation with him, but didn't say a word as he just stared. "I just want to say, thank you for saving us."

"I don't need your thanks. I did what I had to." Max said stoically as he turned his head and watched the play acting in front of him.

"Well, what you did, Mari and I appreciate it." Amy said warmly, Max said nothing as he continued watching the show Mari put on while faking beating up Bruz who was not happy about the situation.

"You know... I can feel sadness from you and so much rage." Amy gave her impression of him. Max scoffed, having heard that all before. "But I can feel there's some goodness in you, deep down, and slowly it's fighting its way to the surface."

"What makes you say that." Max raised an eyebrow.

"From the videos I've seen, the first time you made yourself known, you were cold, brutal, and heartless. No emotions on your face. But as I see, you seemed to be, well, almost at peace. Or at least have found something to ground you." Amy said as she looked to max, whose gaze was on Anya, as she was laughing at Mari "faked" tiger suplexing Bruz. Max didn't say anything at first, the thought that Anya being his ground in reality was something that seemed to be stuck with him. He could feel now that madness and hatred of the wasteland he once called home slowly fading away.

"You really think so?" Max said after a short span of silence. Amy smiled, and to max it seemed to be one of pure happiness.

"I like to think so. You could have left us to die with our white fang pursuers, but instead you came and saved us. That gives you a plus in my book Max." Amy said to Max with a calm and warming smile.

"So, what's the deal with...you do realize that..." Max decided to be more personable for once.

"What, that I'm married to a Faunus? Yes, I can see the obvious. And well aware of the dangers from both Human and Faunus alike who view us. Losing my home just recently being an example, and my father not being really happy about it. But my mother likes her so that's a plus." Amy answered Max's question with slight annoyance before just going back to being her calm self. Max nodded his head in silence. "But I don't care, as long as I have her, and Daniel, I am happy."

"So how did you two meet each other?" Max asked her with slight curiosity.

"I was coming home from working at a local clinic, I was passing by a bar when one of the more drunk patrons inside was thrown out. I tried to get a look at his head as he took a nasty fall when he... well let's say he tried to take advantage of me, and I couldn't really do anything as he was more well-built than me. But then one of the other patrons inside heard my cries for help and came out. And the next thing I know the guy had a boot connected to the side of his head as Mari kicked him in the face and he went flying down the ally. After I tended to his head wound and gave him a couple of pain relievers he was well on his way...in a hurry. After that I asked Mari if there was anything I could do for her and what she told me was..." Amy explained the ordeal and then trailed off into a flashback.

"Mind if I can...crash at your place? I just go evicted from my apartment and it will just only be for the night! I'll be on my way as soon as the sun rises and I'll be out of your hair." Mari asked her soon to be wife.

"I was, skeptical at first, but I couldn't have refused, so I let her stay the night. After that she was true on her word and left the next day, but I ended up seeing her again when she came in to the clinic after tussling with a whole Den of Beowolves and a Nevermore. She was so flustered when we met again, and tried to play off the fact that she was this total bad ass, all as I was applying some bandages to her arm. After that we became friends, and then we dated for two years. And then she proposed to me under the broken moonlight, it was so romantic and she was so adorable as she tried, and almost failed, to pull the ring box out. After that we got hitched and have happily been married for almost 4 years." Amy told max the whole story of her life.

"And Daniel?" Max asked.

"A happy accident I had prior to meeting Mari. To be honest I had bad luck with relationships prior to her, one year I went through 6 boyfriends and 3 girlfriends. None working out. And then I met this guy, it was during after a break up for the 9th time and I was getting hammered. This guy, charming and handsome, stubble beard, was also a huntsman. Last thing I remember was a very passionate night... but then he left before I woke up...and that's how Daniel came into my life. And I regret nothing as he was the second-best thing to happen to me. I don't know what I would do without the two of them." Amy answered Max's question.

Max is in deep thought as he is reminded of his own family that he lost, and how happy he was back then till that day. "Then keep them close, guard them with everything you have. Or you may end up like me."

Amy looked to Max with a sad expression as she put a hand on his shoulder. He didn't immediately shrug it off. "Trust me Mari would do everything in her power to prevent something from happening to us, and I the same. But also, we have you and Krel to look after us, and I have a feeling you would do everything in your power to prevent harm to not just your own family but us as well." Max nodded, and looked back as Mari wrapped up her story, Bruz stretching his back with several obvious pops heard. The look on Anya's face as she was smiling whit Dinki-di next to her. He couldn't help but do something he hadn't done in years. He cracked a small warm smile of hope.

-END CHAPTER-


	14. The Wizard, Witch, and Warriors

Mad Max: Road to Salvation

Episode 14: The Wizard, Witch, and Warriors

A/N: Sorry it took so long folks, hope the extra length makes up for it.

[SilentType1997: Well I do have a profile, but I'm no artist. But if I were I probably would who knows.]

[Mr. ReadMore: that would be telling man, but I can say that you're not wrong about that. Thanks for your support.]

[Clearwingyuta: It is nice and you can bet he'll take her down one way or another.]

[Guest 1: This chapter was difficult to write due to sveral problems on my end, so sorry for the delay.]

[Charles: well I'm not saying no to the evil within crossover, but it's not in my wheelhouse and I'm doing my best to update as fast as I can.]

* * *

Max had slept peacefully after he had gone back to sleep again after watching the whole little performance from Mari and Bruz. Everyone had gone to sleep in the vehicles and time passed quickly while they slept. With his mind truly at ease for the first time in a very long time, Max was actually happy. As the morning came and the brutal sun took its place in the sky, the people of the town of Ashford began their daily routines. Max was the first among his motley crew to awaken and stretched himself out. Soon enough everyone was waking up one by one and there was one thing on everyone's mind, food. Not a moment too soon, a certain dusty old Qrow happened to walk down the street towards them, with a white-haired stranger beside him who bore a black suit, green scarf, small black sunglasses, and a black cane. Trailing closely behind them was a blonde woman with her tied in a bun, she wore glasses, a black skirt, high heeled black boots, white blouse and her weapon was a riding crop.

Max eyed the strangers suspiciously, taking care to analyze every visible detail. The white-haired stranger took a sip from a coffee mug he held in his other hand and he returned Max's gaze with a very subtle look of curiosity. The blonde woman had a stoic look on her face as she followed along. The road warrior watched them all carefully as they approached the convoy. Mari spotted the white-haired man and her eyes widened in surprise at that particular stranger's presence. She knew exactly who he was, his identity was no secret after all. But then he rarely ever left Beacon academy for any reason. It did not necessarily mean that he never left at all, but it was quite surprising seeing him here of all places to say the least. Even the former white fang member Krel knew of this man and his reputation. Daniel and Anya were busying themselves playing with each other and not paying attention to Qrow and the two strangers. Dinki-di on the other hand was doing the same thing as his master, observing them out of instinct as if he were studying a group of possible foes. The three individuals finally stopped when Max had got out of the car and narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"I assume this is the man you told me about, Qrow. The road warrior?" Ozpin said after a brief moment of uncomfortable silence.

"That's him alright Oz. He's everything I told you he'd be. Hey Glynda, I think you might really hit it off with him, considering you're both hard cases." Qrow said as he took a swig from his flask. Glynda gave the drunken man a death glare and said nothing as she took her place beside Ozpin. The drunkard just nonchalantly ignored her death stare.

"I see that now, and perhaps even more." Ozpin said as he nonchalantly observed the rest of Max's associates. He then turned his attention to the road warrior himself. "I understand you've wanted to speak with me. You've certainly made quite a name for yourself in a very short time, Mr. Rockatansky."

"You have something I want." Max replied gruffly. Glynda got a good look at him and what she saw was unimpressive, to her he appeared to be another simple-minded thug.

"Yes, I understand that you desire your privacy if I am correct. Well I am sure that can be arranged in due time. But before we get ahead of ourselves, I am professor Ozpin." The wise headmaster offered to shake hands and Max reluctantly took it, only briefly taking his eyes off the man in front of him to glance at his assistant. She had a similar disposition at that moment when they locked eyes and quickly looked away. Max made a mental note of this and returned his steely gaze to the other stranger.

"So, I've heard, you run one of those huntsman academies." Max stated coolly. As he did so, Anya and Daniel had ceased their games and went to their respective parents. Anya stood next Max while silently staring at the strange man. Glynda looked down to see the little girl hiding behind the road warrior and her heart softened a bit to see the state she was in and clinging to the man so tightly. But nonetheless, in her opinion the man was recklessly putting the girl in danger if she was constantly going into battle with him. Bruz glared at the huntsmen and huntress with a vast amount of anger and disdain in his eyes.

"Yes, and as a matter of fact I have something to discuss with you about that as well, perhaps over a meal. I can see that you and your associates are quite famished, I would like to offer to provide said meal as I have yet to enjoy some breakfast myself." Ozpin then eyed Anya who was still hiding behind Max's leg while her adoptive father placed his hand protectively in front of her. "Who might you be?"

"She's my… adopted daughter." Max growled protectively.

"So, it would seem." Ozpin said calmly with a small smile.

"You should take better care of her then." Glynda said in an annoyed tone.

"Hey ease up on the guy, he's had it pretty rough and does it look like he has any lien to get her new clothes?!" Qrow defended Max.

"That's exactly my point Qrow! He can't take care of her in the first place!" Glynda barked at the drunken man while gesturing to Anya and Max.

"So, what do you nominate yourself?!" Qrow snapped back.

"Oi, she's better off with us than on the streets you damn huntsman slagheads! The boss did little sis a favor by taking her in!" Bruz roared at the associates of the wise headmaster in defense of his surrogate family.

"D-daddy, I'm hungry." Anya said as she tugged on Max's pant leg.

"Not now little piston rod, Daddy's working." Max replied stoically.

"That's enough everyone, I believe it's time we had that discussion. If you would please follow me, I believe there is a diner around the corner where we can eat. I think your daughter will enjoy it as well." Ozpin said sternly, quieting the argument. He then signaled for Max and his compatriots to follow him. The entire group proceeded to the diner and as they did Bruz went next to Max and Anya.

"Oi Boss, are you sure we should trust this high and mighty slag head? That assistant of his really riles me up, she has no place in talking about what's best for little sis." Bruz spat as they walked.

"Whatever happens, happens. If they intend to double cross us…" Max trailed off. If anyone had intentions of taking away his little piston rod, they'd get a face full of fist or buckshot.

"We take care of business." Bruz finished with a grin. Max just grunted ambiguously. Anya stayed by Max's side but was only focused on staying close to him. Dink-di went next to Qrow and the stranger, growling when the huntsman tired to scratch him. Qrow took the hint and left the dog alone while they made their way to the restaurant. Glynda couldn't stop glancing at the man it was almost like a reflex for her, the whole time he'd barely said a word, and it made her very irritated. Mari was just amazed at the fact that the man himself was here in Vacuo. But she kept asking herself the all too important question, Why? Why was he here of all places? What would warrant his need to come here instead of them going to see him?

Krel was on edge due to his sordid past, and the fact that one of the most influential individuals in the huntsman community was here, did not ease his mind. They finally reached the diner and filed in to a large table, and all of them sat down accordingly. Max sat next to Ozpin, Glynda, and Qrow while Anya, Bruz, and Mari sat on the opposite side of Max. The waiter came and took everyone's orders and ignored the dog that sat near the table.

"Now Mister Rockatansky, it's time we continued our discussion." Ozpin said calmly after he took a sip from his mug.

"Fair enough." Max said stoically.

"As I understand it you wish to be left alone and while I would like to help in that regard-" Ozpin started to make his case but was rudely interrupted.

"Are you saying you can't?" Max cut him off.

"Not at all, but rather I may have a better solution." Ozpin replied.

"That being?" Max raised an eyebrow at the headmaster's suggestion.

"Perhaps you could stay at beacon." Ozpin offered.

"No way no how boss! I absolutely refuse to spend one flaming minute-" Bruz ranted as he rose up and planted his hands on the table indignantly.

"I would suggest that you show some respect!" Glynda slapped her riding crop and for the briefest moment she had put the fear of god into the young wasteland mechanic. Bruz shrank back into his seat but maintained his disapproval of the idea. "You can't be serious though Ozpin, this thug-"

"Has done far more good than harm. Back to the subject at hand, your young apprentice would have to be enrolled as a student. Although he would have to complete initiation and be assigned to a team as a late entry." Ozpin silenced Glynda and then went on about Bruz's possible enrollment at the academy.

"Why would I go to a school? Especially if I want to left alone." The Road warrior growled.

"Beacon is outfitted with dormitories for the students and private ones for staff alike, if you were to make beacon your place of residence, it would be much easier to assist you in that desire for privacy you mentioned." Ozpin said coolly.

"That doesn't answer my question Ozpin." Max narrowed his eyes impatiently.

"Patience is a virtue mister Rockatansky, while I may understand your lack thereof simply hear me out." Ozpin reasoned with the disgruntled ex-cop.

"Fine." Max said as he crossed his arms and made himself comfortable.

"Thank you, now as I was saying, after the young mister Bruz is enrolled, you and several of your other associates would be free to come and go as you please. If you were to stay at beacon I would able to provide you with shelter in the few unused staff dorms as well as invaluable resources, your car for example." Ozpin continued his explanation.

"What about it?" Max asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Surely it must need repairs and parts? While I am sure you have ample supply already, I am also sure you have only but a finite amount of said parts. Not to mention fuel for your vehicle, even the large tanks onboard are filled with a limited amount. In short, I have things you need. Qrow also mentioned your intentions for a crusade against the white fang, while commendable they are fruitless without necessary information." Ozpin listed the ways he could help Max.

"I have my ways." Max shrugged. Glynda narrowed her eyes at his response.

"I'm sure you do, but my assistance would make that process much easier. I suppose it's your choice though, I understand if you have any reluctance, but I assure you I have no ill intentions. If you need more reassurance, I have a certain mutual acquaintance we both share, a shaman by the name of Griffa." Ozpin informed Max of the need for information and a shared acquaintance.

"How do you know him?" Max said with a serious look on his face.

"He and I have known each other for some time, and last night he and I had an enlightening discussion pertaining to you. That's why I came here to speak with you directly." Ozpin told the truth.

"Fine." Max said after a moment of consideration.

"So, you accept the terms of the arrangement?" Ozpin locked his fingers together as he put his elbows on the table.

"Our agreement is that I help you and you help me in return. First though, I still have business to take care of. That is absolutely non-negotiable." Max set his side of deal's terms.

"Mutually beneficial for both of us then, all you will have to do is contact me when you are ready, and I will have a bullhead sent to bring you and your associates to beacon. It will also provide me time to prepare your quarters as well as several other. Besides, there are still several other things we will have to discuss upon your arrival including Bruz's enrollment."

"You can't be serious boss?! I have to go to school with huntsman slag-heads?!" Bruz shouted indignantly. This little outburst irritated Glynda immensely as she gave an unforgiving look of disapproval to the young dingo faunus who was angry enough to just shrug it off.

"Deal with it Bruz." Max put his foot down.

"Grrr why can't we just keep going as we have?! We'd be better off without a leash to roam free! If I'm there who will fix the car?!" Bruz tried to reason with Max but his mind was made up.

"Explain to me then young man, why do you bear such a grudge against huntsman and huntresses?" Ozpin asked calmly.

"What's it to ya slaghead?!" Bruz snarled spitefully.

"Oh, that is it, you will show the professor some respect, now young man!" Glynda was furious at Bruz's deplorable behavior.

"For once I agree with you Glynda, either this kid shuts his damn mouth or I'll pulverize the little shit!" Qrow for once was on Glynda's side.

"Ya want to know why I don't like huntsmen or huntresses? Cause it turns out, they aren't the "glorious heroes" that they pretend to be. Nah. All of them, they're just glorified celebrities, so high on their horses, they don't even acknowledge what guys like myself go through. I mean, where were they when the slavers took me away as a little kid? Where were those "heroes" when I had to be put so much unbelievable pain, it became a part of me?! Where were the so-called "defenders" ... WHEN THIS FUCKING HAPPENED TO ME?!" Bruz pulled down his face wrap and revealed his facial scaring to everyone at the table. Glynda and Qrow cringed slightly at the sight while Ozpin was remarkably stone-faced. Mari and Amy gasped at the sight of his horrible scars. Krel knew all too well what happens in the criminal underworld thanks to his time in the white fang and wasn't surprised at Bruz's scars.

"I was taken from my home on menagerie by slavers when I was just a nipper, and no one was there to save me! I endured years of misery in that pit of hell and survived. The only reason I'm here is because I managed to get lucky and swiped a 'nade that was my ticket to freedom! The bastards stuck me on a boat, and I got free when I blew the grenade while it was moored in vale. I killed them all and made my way out here! That's why I hate you self-righteous bastards!"

"I understand the reason for your anger, but you have to understand that -"Ozpin started to say.

"What? That I just fell through the cracks? Or the fact that all of you huntsman aren't doing your damn jobs?!" Bruz interrupted.

"That no one is perfect, there is no reason for you to take your anger out on me or any other huntsman or huntress. If you learn to become a huntsman you can prevent that from happening to someone else." Ozpin finished.

"Piss off old man, all I need to do is keep surviving like the boss here." Bruz grunted spitefully.

"What does that accomplish then? How does that change anything? Isn't that what you want, change?" Ozpin turned bruz's ideals against him.

"I…grr…*sigh*." Bruz had nothing left to say.

"I thought so. I know you've suffered but that can change if you try. If you want to inspire change then attending beacon would be a step in the right direction." Ozpin finished his speech and Bruz remained silent. After sometime passed and everyone had finished their meal Ozpin and Glynda took their leave. But that was after Mari spoke to them about what she and Amy would do if and when they went to the academy. Glynda briefly argued with Max about Anya and she nearly caused a scuffle until Ozpin had her calm down. Max was angered slightly by her attempt but both sides agreed to a ceasefire until further notice. Later on, Max's crew went back to the vehicles and Qrow decided to stick around for a bit. Bruz was still sore about being shanghaied into attending Beacon but Max was firm about it. The manic mechanic took some solace in the fact that at least Max was going to hold off on going until the time seemed right. Bruz then had an idea, if he was going to do this then he decided to pitch an idea to Max that would get them some big lien. Max was busy thinking to himself while Anya sat on his knee and feel asleep hugging him. Bruz walked over to Max being careful not to wake the cute little nipper.

"Oi, boss." Bruz whispered quietly.

"What?" Max replied as Anya snuggled him in her sleep.

"I have a bit of proposition for ya." Bruz leaned against the interceptor.

"not interested Bruz." Max said stoically.

"C'mon boss, we need some lien and I'm itching to bust some heads. Besides what else are we going to do in the meantime until you decide we go to the bloody academy?" Bruz made his case.

"Fine, what?" Max agreed to listen.

"Thanks boss! Oops, sorry almost woke little sister there." Bruz almost shouted as Anya stirred slightly before falling back asleep.

"The idea, Bruz." Max growled.

"Righto boss sorry, well I figured we could enter me in the mistral tournament. I know it's a continent over but-" Bruz whispered.

"Actually, that's not a half bad idea." Qrow interrupted.

"How long have you been listening Qrow?" Max growled.

"Long enough and well after I was done here, I figured I'd head to mistral myself to get started on another job Oz had for me. We're going the same way so…" Qrow trailed off.

"Remind me boss why you let that bird brain stick around?" Bruz shook his head.

"Hey I'm helping your case here!" Qrow whispered indignantly.

"What's going on boys?" Mari said as she walked over to them.

"Shush!" The three of them silenced her.

"Sorry, oh she's just the freaking cutest when she's asleep. Anyway, what are you three knuckleheads up to?" Mari smiled at Anya and then turned her attention to the guys.

"Just discussing a trip to mistral, for me it's business, them some fun at this year's tournament." Qrow said quietly.

"That's right it's going commence pretty soon and I like watching the reigning champ, she reminds me of myself when I was her age. Look at me talking like a mom, then again, I kind of am." Mari said happily and remembered her joint care for Daniel with Amy.

"Hey if you're looking to be all the way…" Qrow trailed off.

"Don't even think about it buster." Mari scowled.

"Sheesh, what's wrong with some flirting?" Qrow shrugged.

"You answered your own question." Mari deadpanned.

"So are we going to mistral boss?" Bruz asked humbly.

"Fine." Max sighed.

"That's bloody rippa it is boss!" Bruz whispered and did a small victory dance.

-END CHAPTER-

A/N: I know the relationship between Max and Glynda is off to a rocky start but all it takes is time. Besides there is still that idea I had if it doesn't end up working out.


	15. Warrior vs Assassin

Mad Max: Road to Salvation

Episode 15: Warrior vs. Assassin

* * *

[Charles: thanks for the support of witch and the warrior man, and sorry but again not my wheelhouse.]

[SilentType1997: I did but he just writes and he did not point in the me in the right direction of any.]

[Clearwingyuta: 1. of course and 2. there may be a slight problem then.]

[Kaesar16: well thank you but well he won't change much, if anything merely tolerance is what is needed. Remember, that little girl is softening his heart a bit.]

[Guest 1: Thank you.]

[Guest 2: I see it too]

* * *

The next day, max and his cohorts, including the drunken huntsman who was along for the ride, set out for the jungles of mistral. The desert sun beat down on the Vacuo highway and off in the distance a nevermore could be seen minding its own business in the sky. So far, the convoy had yet to capture its attention, but Qrow had assured them when they had briefly stopped to stretch that they could take it if they happened to be spotted. So far everyone had just minded their own business in the vehicles, for once Daniel was riding in the interceptor with Max, Anya, Bruz and the dog.

He and Anya were playing games with each other to pass the time. Mari and Amy had actually asked for it so that Daniel would have someone his own age to play with. The young boy was still somewhat timid to his new friend Anya who was happy to have someone besides her surrogate brother Bruz to talk to. The manic wasteland mechanic only had one thing on his mind at the moment, the tournament. He had managed to keep up with and he relished the opportunity to have a good scrap against the defending champion, Pyrrha Nikos. If he was going to be forced to go to Beacon then he might as well get one chance to go all out before being put on a leash.

Bruz could see it now, he would be beating the snot out of his challengers all the way up to the invincible girl herself. He'd enjoy it, to say the least. He knew that with Max's help he might actually be the one to win since he'd actually gone head to head with some tough opponents already. Bruz knew if he wanted to gain the upper hand against his soon to be opponent, he'd have to ask Max for training. Meanwhile over in the armored car, Qrow and Krel were sitting in the back while Mari and Amy were up front. They enjoyed the fact that Bruz happened to have a trailer on hand for Mari's cycle so they didn't have to worry about lifting it into the back of the truck with them. The two men sat there in silence for quite a while. Qrow wasn't exactly comfortable with it but it didn't look like the big guy in front of him was eager to talk. Krel held a similar opinion and didn't say a word to the man opposite of him. Qrow finally got bored out of his skull and decided to break the eerie silence.

"You, big guy. What's your story?" Qrow asked the large and intimidating bears faunas.

"I'm Krel Bastion, the rest is none of your business." Krel said coolly while he worked on his gun-hammer (Rumbling Mountain).

"That's a little more than what the other guy said at first until he blew a gasket at me, which said a lot." Qrow mentioned his first chats with the road warrior and gestured to the black car behind them.

"He just likes his privacy and I have my reasons for not wanting to tell you. Let's just say I want to put my past behind me for a reason." Krel said stoically as he bore respect for the man even though they'd barely said a word to each other. The bear faunas then remembered his sketchy past and did not want the huntsman in front of him to attack him outright for who he used to be. He knew the reputation of the man and simply didn't want any trouble.

"If that's the way you want to play it fine by me." Qrow decided to back off since he knew he was going nowhere fast.

"You mind your business, I mind mine." Krel said as he went back to maintaining his weapon.

"This is just boring sitting here." Qrow sighed.

"Find a way to entertain yourself then, besides ticking me off." Krel said coolly.

"Oh, ha, ha." Qrow said sarcastically. After that the silence persisted, Qrow then remembered his whiskey and checked the flask. Luckily enough, there was still some alcohol left inside of it, enough to satisfy himself. Upfront with the two women, they were discussing their new dream jobs at beacon, Amy imagined herself as the new school nurse, while Mari liked the idea of being a teacher. There was also the added benefit of free room and board. They both had Cheshire grins at the idea of love between Anya and Daniel. The two little tykes had already become fast friends with each other. Mari remembered mentioning that around him, and the little guy went red in the face with embarrassment.

Nearby, a figure in a black and crimson striped trench coat was watching the two-vehicle convoy pass on the road below through the scope of a sniper rife that had been combined with a double-ended spear transformation. He was a 17-year-old who bore a crimson stripe in his hair, Doberman doggy ears, fingerless gloves, a black undershirt, black pants, and combat boots. This young man's name is Slice Harris, mercenary for hire. This was slice's latest in a long line of brutal contracts to date. The white fang had hired him to take out the who had faced down Raven Branwen and was rumored to have also beaten Winter Schnee. Slice grinned to himself at the thought of this, he enjoyed his work a bit too much. But none the less he rarely ever said a word, preferring to keep his thoughts to himself to the point where he seemed mute.

He hopped onto his personal assault bike that had been modified for a balance between desert sand and street. He Pulled up a crimson face wrap and lowered his goggles over his eyes and kicked started the engine, taking off down the hill to follow his target. He'd been looking forward to this for quite some time now, since this man would be the challenger he felt he deserved to face. He pulled to the far side of the vehicles and came to another hill where he stood a chance of dropping on to the roof of the armored car. He revved the motor and took the jump, landing on the roof of the heavy vehicle. He was quick to tie his ride down to the roof, and then the two warriors inside the rear took notice.

Krel began firing his armor piercing rounds through the roof and shooting at the assassin as he leapt onto the hood of the interceptor. Max was fast with his pointing of the sawed-off at the assassin with an apparent death wish. Slice hopped up and grabbed the roof as Max fire, barely avoiding the ball of fire that erupted from the barrels of Max's gun. Slice hung on to the roof as he transformed his weapon into spear mode and began trying to stab through the roof. Max caught on to his strategy and began swerving to prevent this. It made Bruz nauseous and his face turned slightly green from it. The Dingo faunus ignored his sickness when he saw the spear jab at the little ones who held each other tightly. He gritted his teeth and grabbed the spear with all his might.

Dinki-di jumped in and began biting down and assisting his comrade in their struggle. Slice was losing patience and transformed his weapon into its rifle mode. He fired the weapon and barely missed Bruz's shoulder with the shot. The angry Dingo faunas had enough of this and yanked the gun-spear with enough force to drag in the assassin and headbutt him. Bruz then began to wrestle with the hired killer in the confined space of the interceptor's backseat. The two of them struggled while the kids watched in fear. Max focused on the road ahead and knew exactly what to do since he and the rest of his passengers were strapped except for the hitchhiker. He stomped on the brakes and Slice was ejected from the car at freeway speed.

He tumbled on the hard pavement for a few meters before stopping and picking himself up. Max punched the gas and drove head on at the assassin only to barely miss as he rolled to the side. Max pulled a 180 and hopped out of the car while Bruz unstrapped and took the wheel. The armored car had stopped and the other members of max's crew piled out to join the fight. Until Max shouted at them to stay out of it. Qrow wasn't exactly happy with that one bit but Krel stood in his way as well as the girls. Max began duking it out with his opponent to settle this himself before it could drag out any further. He ran at the trench coat killer with his machete in hand and they clashed. Max's machete clanged hard against the transformable weapon and he felt the machete shake in his hands as his opponent recovered and they went at it again.

Max grabbed the weapon and kneed Slice in the gut at full force before driving his elbow down the hired killer's back. The road warrior tried to finish the combo with a stomp, but it was narrowly avoided by his enemy rolling out of the way. Slice jumped to his feet and charged at the road warrior bayonet style. The ex-cop sidestepped the incoming attack and fired his pipe shotgun. Slice's aura took a massive hit and he was sent tumbling across the sand. He recovered and tried a jumping attack with a downward slash. Max raised his shotgun in defense and two struggled for control of the tide of battle. The veteran wasteland war-fighter gave a mighty shove and then door kicked his opponent in the chest. Slice had the wind thoroughly knocked out of him in an instant.

Max then clotheslined him with an outstretched arm and knocked him to the ground. Max then grabbed him by the throat and started punching him in the face repeatedly. Slice got tired of being a punching bag and struggled to get free as Max continued brutalizing him. He managed to put his boot to max's torso and the road warrior was flung back to the ground. Max caught his breath and dashed towards his aggressor as he stood up. The two of them had resorted to fist fighting at last and Max tried to levy a haymaker as Slice ducked. He retaliated against max with a roundhouse kick knocking him to the side but not down. Slice then ran in close to max and used his semblance to avoid a devastating punch to the throat and nearly managing to hit Max's back. The road warrior managed to see through the illusion and elbowed his opponent in the face.

"Go boss go! Show that bastard who's the real boss!" Bruz cheered on his rampaging boss from the circle that had formed.

"Keep it up tough guy!" Mari shouted gleefully as max kicked slice's ass.

Max held his ground and they went at it again with both of them colliding fists. Slice tried to throw another jab but Max grabbed his arm and threw his opponent over shoulder and slammed him down on the ground. Both of them were getting tired but neither of them was willing to back down. Max gritted his teeth and ran at Slice while the assassin did the same. Max went low and uppercut his opponent knocking him into the air before yanking him out of the air and planting his foot squarely on slice's torso. Slice tried to get up but Max had him pinned good. The road warrior then bashed his pipe shotgun against slice's head, breaking his aura and knocking him out. Max rose up and sat down again to rest, he took a swig from his canteen and breathed. Mari grabbed a rope from inside the armored car and tied the assassin's hands.

"That was a bloody good show boss!" Bruz shouted happily as he helped up the road warrior to his feet.

"Nice job road boy, now we just have to figure out who this guy is." Qrow said with a slight slur. Max only grunted in response.

"I think I know." Krel interjected.

"Let me guess, part of that past you didn't want to talk about?" Qrow made an educated guess.

"More than you know." Krel replied stoically for the most part, with a slight hint of shame.

"No shit." Qrow crossed his elbows.

"His name's Slice Harris, he's a top notch merc, but he prefers to be called an assassin. I've worked with him before and he's just as ruthless as he is honorable." Krel gave the crew the rundown on their unwanted guest.

"Which means he's probably here to take out old maxxy here, and explains why they butted heads so much." Qrow surmised.

"Most likely considering how Max was the one he made the most effort to go after." Krel confirmed Qrow suspicions.

"Well then let's make him talk." Qrow said calmly as he walked toward the assassin for hire.

"How genius? He's knocked the fugg out, and even then, he's almost a mute anyway!" Krel said as he followed Qrow to the incapacitated enemy.

"Keyword 'almost' bear boy." Qrow shot back.

"Interrogation isn't your strong suit 'buddy', not to mention the fact that your morals would keep you from getting any info at all." Krel stated flatly.

"Who asked you? But, I guess you're right I'd never stoop that low." Qrow had to give him that much.

"But I think I know someone who might." Krel's gaze drifted over to Max.

"You mean Max, don't you?" Qrow deadpanned.

"Who else is there besides him or me?" Krel gestured to the surrounding area.

"While that may be true, doesn't mean I like it, we are better than that, at least that's what my nieces believe." Qrow remembered his nieces and their innocent belief in him.

"We either find out who sent him or this could just keep happening." Krel growled.

"It can go either way at this point really." Qrow shrugged.

"Well… it looks like he's already started." Krel said as the two of them looked at Max who started walking over to Slice and glaring him in the eye. Slice just stared back blankly and tilted his head at the man who stood before him. Max's eyes narrowed as the staring contest continued, he was losing patience. But then something unexpected happened, the prisoner talked.

"Your fighting was honorable warrior. I commend your skills in battle, and for that I may have some information you want to hear. While I may be assassin for hire who likes his work, that doesn't mean I always respect the clients I work for. So, I'm willing to trade you some information for my freedom as well as perhaps an opportunity to travel with you. Your skills are exactly the challenge I crave and you have bested me, which very few ever have." Slice said truthfully.

"The information." Max quietly demanded with ire in his tone, he hadn't forgotten the young man's attempt to skewer the children.

"Right, I was sent by the white fang, Adam Taurus specifically. He said it was at the request of his superior Sienna Khan, but I had my doubts. I was not one to openly refuse my customers but, he had raised some suspicion. I normally don't speak this much, it's quite refreshing." He said without a hint of deception in his tone.

"Then tell me what else you know about them." Max said in a more reasonable tone.

"That's all the information I have I'm afraid. But I assure you what I have said is the truth. As I said, you have earned my respect and I have no qualms with you since this was business. I have no reason to try and kill you anymore, I failed the contract so it is null and void." Slice spoke in his usual calm demeanor.

"Fine, I won't hesitate to kill at the first thought of betrayal." Max laid out the terms and his instincts were good enough to trust a temporary alliance.

"Are ya mad boss?! He just tried to murder the piss out of us, including the ankle biters!"

"He's a resource, and there are more than enough of us if he is not trustworthy, I am not blind to his actions Bruz." Max said stoically.

"I know him and he's the real deal. Slice isn't lying, it's part of his code." Krel stepped forward and vouched for slice.

"Hello old friend, it has been quite some time." Slice remembered his ex-associate Krel.

"The last time we saw each other, didn't go so well." Krel said with his eyes narrowed.

"I apologize for my actions so long ago, but we were at odds with each other. That is neither here nor there, time heals all wounds does it not?" Slice said in a friendly manner.

"I vouched for you again, don't make me regret it twice." Krel growled.

"Then let us get under way." Slice grinned under his face wrap.

"Not so fast, this asshole nearly killed the two of us once!" Mari snapped as she pointed her twin pistols at him.

"Yeah, and he nearly hurt my baby twice now!" Amy agreed as she aimed her smg.

"Mom!" Cried an embarrassed little Daniel.

"Notice how I have not tried again, there is no bad blood on my end. I put the past behind me, you must learn to let go as I have. If I fail a contract I rarely ever pursue failed endeavors, they are simply not worth the effort. If the business is personal then that is another story." Slice said coolly.

"We are watching you." The girls said simultaneously as they walked away.

"The eerie way they said that reminds me of two twins I knew once, haven't seen them in a long time either. I wonder how those two little beauties are doing?" Bruz said fondly, and at that point in vale both the Malachite twins sneezed. Everyone else piled into the vehicles again and they were off once more, bound for the destination of the mistral arena.

-END CHAPTER-


	16. Tourney Prep and Entry

Mad Max: Road to Salvation

Episode 16: Tourney Prep and Entry

A/N: Sorry if this chapter feels rushed everybody.

* * *

[Kill king: Sorry man, I hate to refuse a suggestion, but the crow just isn't my thing.]

[SilentTye1997: You're very welcome, happy b-day.]

[Mr. T: That's about the size of his white fang problem alright.]

[Clearwingyuta: Thanks and mmmhmm.]

[Guest: I did not know that, and that's a possibility, in fact he could be like Bigby from the wolf among us.]

[Evowizard25, thanks, and yeah I can understand the need for more difficulty for Max and his merry band of fighters. I can only promise to try my best. Thank you for supporting operation: Blowtorch (Yang X Bruz). I didn't really get that either, and yeah it will be so awkward. Thanks again.]

[Mr. ReadMore: Thank you very much, I'm still trying to figure it out so we'll find out eventually.]

[SilentType1997: Actually I didn't, that was just a magnificent display of defiance and Max's hidden potential. You're right though, he hasn't gotten it unlocked yet. I believe a man with his resolve and will to survive carries an immensely powerful soul. I guess what I'm going for there is a mix of DBZ, RWBY and Soul Eater logic.]

* * *

The drive had been a long one, Max and the others kept a watchful eye on the newest member of their crew in the recent days since his arrival. Dinki-di was keeping the little ones safe by himself and growling angrily at the seemingly peaceful assassin. Slice and Krel seemed to get along with an uneasy silence with Slice simply meditating and he called it 'spiritual training'. After several days of traveling they had reached the edge of the jungles of mistral. When the convoy had stopped at the jungle's edge, Max got out for a moment and took it in again. This was the second time he had seen true green in a very long time. It made him dive back into the sea of memories that was slowly returning to its former luster. Max had begun to remember again and thought to himself of better days once more.

The others simply waited for Max to have his moment, Bruz understood it immediately and had everyone give him some space, except for Anya who snuck past him over to her adoptive father's side. Max wasn't paying attention and the little girl stood next to him patiently. She then reached her hand up to his and started to squeeze it. The Road Warrior was snapped from his reminiscence to see the curious cute little face of the darling little dog faunus girl. Max reached down and hoisted her onto his shoulders. She smiled at him and Max couldn't help but feel that somehow it had truly been divine intervention he'd found her. The road warrior then sighed and put Anya back down on the ground, the two of them walking side by side to the car. Bruz then decided it was time to ask the all too important question when they got back in the car.

"Oi Boss?" Bruz asked the man at the wheel.

"What Bruz?" Max said as he kept his eyes on the road.

"I need ya to teach me how to fight better." Bruz asked without hesitation.

"You handle yourself just fine." Max grunted.

"I've seen what you can do boss, and I need to know how to do all that!" Bruz stated his awe of Max's expert use of brute force and tactical strategy.

"I don't teach, and my skills aren't meant for competition." Max replied flatly.

"Boss I need this, I'll be more useful if I can at least scrap on par with you so I can beat the tar out of the champ. All you have to do is show me what to do." Bruz tried to reason with Max.

"Fine, the next time we stop." Max said gruffly.

"That won't be for a few more damn bloody hours!" Bruz said indignantly as he was dying to learn some new skills.

"If we stop now there's a higher risk of us getting attacked again and won't risk that." Max said growing slightly annoyed.

"We were on the move before, and that damn slaghead landed on the roof of a moving armored truck!" Bruz pointed out the method of Slice's arrival.

"Grr, fine besides it's getting late, and we need rest. The tournament doesn't happen for some time so there is enough of it to train you." Max wasn't in the mood to argue and caved to Bruz's begging.

"Yes!" Bruz said gleefully.

"Don't think for a moment that it will be easy." Max said stoically.

"My life's been hell so far boss, this will be easy." Bruz said nonchalantly.

"You don't know what hell is, until you've lived what I have." Max growled.

"I didn't strike a nerve, did I boss?" Bruz said in an apologetic tone.

"Forget it, we're here." Max said as they pulled up at a makeshift rest area. The crew stepped out of their vehicles and began setting up camp for the night. Max made a fire and everyone sat around it, Mari wanted to stories, Amy wanted to sing, Qrow wanted to drink, all while Max and Krel just sat there quietly. The four nippers (Bruz and Slice included) sat next to the adults and chatted amongst themselves.

"I see you have followed this warrior for quite some time, how is it that you came to meet?" The older teen asked to the slightly younger student of Max.

"I still don't trust you slaghead, you nearly skewered me little sis and her boyfriend." Bruz growled.

"I'm not her boyfriend!" Daniel said indignantly with a crimson red face. Anya giggled at the boy's overreaction.

"Anyway, I have my eyes on you." Bruz rolled his eyes back to the former killer for hire.

"Fair enough, I have caused you and your compatriots some reason for lack of faith. But I have told you and everyone else, that I no longer have any reason to repeat my attempt on your lives." Slice said calmly in a very clear and consistent manner.

"In my book trust is earned, remember that." Bruz growled at the seemingly peaceful mercenary.

"If that is what you wish to believe." Slice said as he went back to his meditation. Bruz said nothing as he watched the contract killer sit with his legs crossed and hands together. The manic mechanic just thought to himself about why this new guy was so annoyingly calm. It didn't make sense to him, not one bit. But that was just how it went he supposed. If the newcomer wanted to be the way he is then that was his decision, not that it mattered much anyway. Anya and Daniel though were both looking up at the stars and the sky was lit up with the beautiful sight of the starry skies above. Anya's hand unknowingly inched closer as did Daniel's. When the two of them felt each other's hands touch they quickly turned their heads away from each other in embarrassment with heavy blush on their faces.

But the moment was ruined when a horde of Grimm charged out of the forest with their eyes blood red and hungry for flesh. The two children ran for the armored truck while the experienced fighters began to put their particular sets of skills to work. In one area of the massive brawl Max was smacking around Beowolves left and right and firing his shotguns at an Ursa minor with devastating effect from the multiple fire dust shells. The view panned over to Mari who was rapidly firing her twin pistols at the horde of angry Grimm, one Beowulf's head exploded in a spectacular display of marksmanship from Slice. The skilled assassin transformed his weapon and spun his double ended spear like a combat staff and chopped the head off of one Grimm as he stabbed another through the torso.

The view swiftly changes to Qrow who was guarding the armored car with the children inside. Qrow slashed the heads off of some of the attacking grim and swapped to sword mode to slice the next one down the middle as it leapt toward him. Krel was lighting the area up and holding the rest of the enemy at bay with suppressive fire from his chain gun. The fighters were all starting to come together as a team and Max felt a chill run down his spine as a larger beast began to make its way through the forest from a nearby cave. Max managed to get some breathing room and fired his flare to alert the rest of the team to the arrival of the larger unknown threat.

Then a cluster of trees was mowed down by a pair of giant pinchers belonging to a very large and very disturbed Deathstalker. The giant bug screeched to its fellow creatures of darkness and rushed in to aid its kin in killing the brave warriors. Max took one look at the beast and directed Krel to use his explosive rounds to hold the massive creature at bay. The giant beast sounded its cry of anger and tried to shield itself from the flak while it slowly advanced. Max and the others were working overtime in their combined effort to take down all the other Grimm in order to deal with the larger threat at hand.

Max grabbed a spare newly made fire dust infused thunder stick from the backseat of the interceptor and ran towards the giant beast after whistling loudly to Krel to swap his tactics to covering fire. Max narrowly avoided being chopped in half from the sheer power of the angry creature's pincers and continued to make his way around the side of the beast. He barely managed to get onto the creature's back and it bucked wildly trying to throw him off. The road warrior doing his best not be knocked off of his tenuous foot and barely dodged the incoming stinger.

From a distance Slice had found a decent position and loaded an explosive round into the chamber. The assassin fired an expertly aimed piercing shot that blew a hole in the top layer of the Deathstalker's armor. Max was lucky not to have been knocked off by now with the combined struggling of the massive Grimm and the shockwave from the explosive round. He grunted and made his way to the crack in the armor plating with the explosive tipped spear on his back. The road warrior took hold of the crack and held on tightly as the insectoid Grimm tried desperately to remove the human from its back. It stabbed down with its stinger and only ended up attacking itself. The creature screeched in agony as it reeled from what it had done. Max took the opportunity and jabbed the thunder stick into the hole before jumping clear from the blast. The creature tried to remove the thunder stick from its back but the lit fuse ran out and it blew a large hole in the creature. The beast didn't even let out a dying cry as it fell limp to the ground.

Just like that the battle was over, entire piles of scattered Grimm bodies were dissolving into wisps of darkness and black ash. Max breathed a sigh of relief that the fighting was over, not to say he didn't enjoy the fleeting moments of silence. He walked over to the armored car and glanced at Anya slowing climbing out with Qrow helping her and Daniel out of the back. Max noticed that the voices had been getting quieter ever since he'd discovered Anya in his backseat. Maybe Amy was truly right after all, perhaps she truly had become his center. Max's instincts were in sync with his newly renewed will to live, all thanks to that little girl. Max shook his head and stepped back from the profound moment to assess the situation. Since the threat had been eliminated for now so that left Max to enjoy the silent night once more. Tomorrow though, Bruz's training would begin. Max went over to the interceptor, his oldest and dearest ally, and went to sleep.

-ONE WEEK LATER-

Bruz's training had been rigorous as he sparred constantly with Max, becoming a model student under the road warrior's brutal tutelage. It brought the aging max an odd sense of comfort to be passing along some of his skills to the younger generation. He railed on his student for even the slightest errors, but Bruz was determined to learn from the man he perceived to be the best. Everyone watched their sessions with mild interest as Bruz learned the brutal stylings of his teacher. Max instructed Bruz in the fine art of reading the flow of a battle and how it could mean the difference between victory or death. The Young dingo faunas was lucky he was so well built as keeping up with Max's swarm style of combat and tactical strategy proved to be beyond difficult.

This only made him crave Max's guidance even further as they trained on and on while they traveled to the arena. Bruz had built up his strength and endurance to be close to Max's from the intense training but Max maintained the advantage of overall skill and experience. The tournament grounds drew ever closer and Bruz's chance to hit it big and take the title of mistral's champion. After all that time despite how short, Bruz's training had been an immense boon and he was ready to face the fiercest contenders. They reached the mighty arena and almost everyone was in awe of the large coliseum, except for Qrow, Max, and Krel. Anyone could enter the tournament providing they could win an entry level battle to determine the brackets. Those who cleared the preliminaries moved ahead into the real fights.

When they parked their vehicles Qrow and Krel opted to stay behind and watch their gear while everyone else went to the small ring set up for the entry brackets. There were sixteen spots in total and Bruz was eager to compete. Max reprimanded his student at the idea of overconfidence in battle and the young mechanic understood his boss's rules. The road warrior walked with his student over to the registration booth and they began the process to register.

"Welcome to the mistral coliseum, are you here to register?"

"The boy, not me." Max said gruffly as he was reminded of the thunder dome, and the gas town race.

"That's right mate, I'm the one doing the fighting here. He's just my instructor, who's here to wish me luck." Bruz said as he leaned on the registry desk.

"I see, well then young man, tell me your full name or stage title so we can get you scheduled for the preliminaries." The registry man said calmly as he presented the list to Bruz.

"Bruz." The young hyena faunas said coolly.

"Last name?" The registry man asked, which left Bruz a little off balance.

"Uh, I haven't got one." Bruz said as a large imaginary sweat drop formed on his forehead.

"I'm sorry but you either need a stage name or your full-" The man started to say as he was cut off by Max.

"Rockatansky." Max interrupted as he stepped closer to the desk.

"Boss?" Bruz said with eyes wide in surprise.

"His name is Bruz Rockatansky." Max said stoically with an underlying tone of implied violence.

"Alright then sir, no need to be violent, Bruz Rockatansky it is. You're lucky, this was the earliest anyone's been here." The man shrank back slightly and entered Bruz's new full name into the roster. "Alright mister Rockatansky, your fight begins in thirty minutes. You're lucky, only a few other competitors have shown up, it's first come first served after all."

"I'm in! WOOOOO!" Bruz bellowed happily as Max rolled his eyes at his student's enthusiasm. Bruz calmed down after a moment of being ecstatic and came down from his high.

"Thanks boss, I-" Bruz started to say with tears of joy in his eyes.

"Don't mention it." Max grunted as they made their way to the arena for Bruz's first fight.

-END CHAPTER-


	17. Phenomenal

Mad Max: Road to salvation

Episode 17: Phenomenal

* * *

[Guest: There will be a time and a place for him to ask. All he knows for now is they're a threat, and until he gets to that point it's all he needs to know.]

[Charles: He is softening slightly yes, but he won't be changing his attire. When the time is right he will reveal his past.]

[SilentTpe1997: Right you are.]

[Enriks D8: Thanks and well yeah.]

* * *

A man in a black suit with a red tie, blonde hair and sunglasses, stepped into the inner area of the coliseum and onto the fighting ring to be welcomed by the cheers of hundreds of adoring fans of the tournament. He put a microphone to his mouth and then shouted loudly. "Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready?!" The cheers grew even louder in anticipation. "That's right everyone today is the annual mistral tournament! I have some exciting news for you ladies and gentlemen! Registration is officially over and we can begin the preliminaries! How does that sound?!" Another roar of applause came from the crowd.

"Alright without any further delay let's get to our first qualifying match! I'd like you all to give a warm welcome to our first contender, a young and talented brawler, from the arid rock-maw region of Vacuo, Bruz Rockatansky!" Bruz then walked out of the same passage the announcer had come through and raised his fist in the air. The crowd cheered loudly at his display of simple badass-ness, causing Bruz to take a step back and ram his fists together, making them cheer even louder. "Alright everyone its time for our newcomer's challenger, a homegrown hero from haven academy, he's a lover and a fighter, the mighty Cross bones!" The announcer yelled as a young student, from haven walked onto the ring and started show boating, earning him loud cheers from the crowd. Cross was dressed in a brown trench coat, blue jeans, brown boots and a skull faced bandana covering the lower half of his face as well as a black military beret on his head. His eyes were brown and he had the look of overconfidence on his face. The two fighters turned to face each other and the announcer stepped back.

"Fighters ready?!" The announcer shouted, and the two opponents looked each other in the eyes as they took up their stances. "Fight!" in under a second both fighters were going head to head with each other. Bruz smacked his opponent upside the head and knocked him across the ring. "Whoa look at that folks! The new kid on the block is clearly no pushover!" The announcer bellowed as Crossbones rose up and pulled out his .45 pistol, firing the entire magazine at Bruz. The young dingo faunus rolled to the left and avoided the hail of gunfire, he saw his chance as the haven student reloaded his pistol. Bruz seized the opportunity and ran straight at him, tackling the guy to the ground.

He then began to wail on him with a flurry of punches. Crossbones engaged his semblance and a shock came from his contact with Bruz. The manic mechanic did several embarrassing poses from the amount of electricity going through him and quickly recovered, albeit slightly dazed. Crossbones ran at him with a large knife in his hands and Bruz countered just in time with his own bowie knife. Mari and the others were in the stands watching from high above and they cheered when Bruz blocked the attack. The angry dingo faunus then made a tactical move and punched Crossbones in the stomach. He grabbed the haven student, spun around and twisted his arm, and then rammed his head into the floor. Bruz then stopped pounding the guy's face in and hurled him into the air. Crossbones landed on the edge of the ring and just barely avoided a ring out. Bruz charged him head on at full speed and knocked him into the wall outside the ring.

"OH, RING OUT! Bruz Rockatansky is the winner!" The announcer said proudly with a huge amount of gusto.

"Bring on the next one, I'm ready for more!" Bruz roared to the crowd, and they cheered at the top of their lungs.

"Now that's one eager young competitor folks! Let's give the rookie some applause!" The announcer shouted with a huge grin on his face. The crowd responded with even more cheers for the young faunus.

"Oi, mister, mind if I have a go with that?" Bruz asked the announcer coolly.

"Sure kid, I'd say you've earned it." The announcer allowed it.

"Alight everybody, I'm gonna say it right here right now. I challenge the champ to see she if she can take me on, because I'm all revved up for war now! But that doesn't mean I ain't a sportsman either! I think everybody here knows there's nothing like a good scrap, am I right?!" Bruz bellowed proudly to his new fans as he called out Pyrrha herself. "Here you go mate." Bruz said politely as he handed the microphone back to the announcer.

"There you have it folks, it looks our newest competitor is out to take the win! He talks the talk, soon enough we'll get to see if he can walk the walk! But I can tell you right now a battle is surely brewing, and the challenge is on!" The announcer shouted to the adoring crowd of the coliseum's attendees.

After Bruz finished his grandstanding, he was escorted to the rest area to wait for the rest of the qualifying fights to finish. Thirty-one fights later, Bruz's next opportunity for battle came, and one after the other he thrashed, crushed, and stomped his competition into submission. Each fight left the young hyena faunus even hungrier for the main event, which was coming up through the ranks fast. He admitted that the invincible girl had some style when he saw her fight, but he was in this for the win. Bruz's path to victory was also fraught with its challenges as the higher he went the tougher his opponents became. Some were fast, some were strong, even fewer were both. But the intrepid manic mechanic powered on through his heavyweight fights to finish his personal mission like a boss. His latest opponent had really put him through the wringer, Bruz was in the rest area again and Max had come to speak with him.

"Hey boss, how's my performance so far?" Bruz asked his mentor with a half-smile on his face.

"Sloppy." Max said with brutal honesty.

"Oi-!" Bruz started to voice his indignity but was interrupted.

"What matters is that you're succeeding, despite where you fall short. It pays to adapt your strategy in order to drive the nails into your opponent's coffin. That's what you've been doing and that's why I'm here." Max explained stoically.

"Err what?" Bruz tilted his head in confusion.

"*sigh*The point is, sometimes you face your enemies head on, and sometimes you wait until their weakness is revealed. Patience is always your greatest weapon, do you understand?" Max gruffly lectured Bruz on his tactics and the young mechanic nodded his head in understanding. "Good luck with the rest of your fights, and remember, try to read the flow of the battle as it unfolds, combining that with patience is the key. But after you win this, we're going back to the basics again." Max went into further detail to drive his point home for the young mechanic and then told him the consequences of his performance.

"Aww scrap." Bruz said with melancholy at the thought of more strenuous exercise and rigorous lessons.

"Now put those skills I taught you to use out there, … and make me proud." Max said confidently with a slight smile as he started to walk away.

"You got it boss, I won't let you down!" Bruz said proudly as he stood up and saluted the road warrior as he returned to the stands to watch the next fight unfold. With Max's vote of confidence under his belt Bruz took to the ring again for another campaign of carnage. The headstrong hyena faunus stomped his way to the arena and out onto the ring again with the crowd showing their adoration for the young rookie sensation. Bruz raised a fist into the air and screamed at the top of his lungs "URRRRRAAAAA!" The crowd began to chant along with him as he smiled his joker scarred grin under the bandanna he wore to cover the lower half of his face.

"Wow folks, that's one stellar welcome for the amazingly unbreakable rookie sensation of the year, the bulletproof thug himself, Bruz Rockatansky!" The announcer shouted happily as he appeared alongside the young competitor. "Alright ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, It's time for the main event of day! The moment you've all been waiting for, it's time for the rookie of the year to face our beloved champion, the queen of the ring herself! You all know her, you love to watch her fight, the invincible girl herself, Pyrrha Nikos!" The announcer bellowed as the invincible girl calmly stepped into the ring with a confident smile on her pretty face. Bruz had to admit he sort of blushed a bit when she looked his way and they locked eyes with each other. The newest officially adopted member of the Rockatansky family shook those thought out of his motorhead. Pyrrha did the same and walked over to him with a calm smile, and stuck out her hand in a gesture of sportsmanship, Bruz took it and shook it firmly.

"I'd like to have a good match, if that's alright with you?" Pyrrha said gingerly.

"Oi, like I said if I lose, and I don't intend to, I won't be sore about it. All that matters to me is that I have a good scrap! I came this far, and nothing's going to make me hold back now, I promise you that, you red headed beauty!" Bruz replied in a warm, friendly tone with his arms crossed over his chest. Pyrrha blushed at his comment, almost as if she was taking it the wrong way. Bruz noticed this and began covering his ass. "Hey I didn't mean it like that! I'm just being friendly red. Seriously, I hope you have a good fight."

"O-oh, well thank you very much." Pyrrha said with a slight stutter while making an effort to recompose herself. She did so, and the two of them made their way to their respective pacing distance. Bruz took up his brutal stance and rammed his fists together, earning him a loud cheer from the crowd. Up above in the stands, his 'family' was watching with heavy anticipation. Amy and Mari were both doing their respective cheerleading chants, while Max just sat there quietly with a stoic look on his face that hid the secret pride he had in his student that stood ready for battle below. Qrow was viewing the fight on his scroll with Krel and Dinki-di joining in as the dog barked in solidarity with the rest of his comrades.

"Are you ready?!" The announcer shouted to the crowd in the stands and across the world through the various cameras that were positioned in the coliseum to record the fight. Even three very interested individuals were watching the battle, one bore red eyes and mint green hair, the other had a dull grey color scheme, and the last one wore a red dress with a flame pattern and her eyes glowed with an ominous amber color. Her eyes burned with a newfound curiosity at sight of this powerful young fighter. Deep within her cold and vicious heart, a new and mysterious spark began to burn with the flame of desire. All Cinder had ever lusted for was power, but this young faunus intrigued her. He was proving to be quite the anomaly to be sure, although he was brutish, that trait definitely had its uses. Her amber eyes burned brightly in anticipation, and her deviously cold heart agreed with her. Back in the ring, the two fighters were still waiting as the announcer prepared to give out the call.

"Are you all ready?!" The announcer cried loudly to the world as everyone was on the edge of their seats in anticipation. Bruz's brow furrowed as he focused on his opponent and he ground his boots against the floor. Pyrrha was calm and ready to face him when he came at her, at least that was what she believed.

"Begin!" The announcer shouted as he jumped back from the ring. Bruz ran at Pyrrha in an attempt to rush her. She sidestepped his charge and transformed her milo into its spear form and tried to defend against Bruz's onslaught. Bruz saw her move to counter him and ducked as he attacked from below. His uppercut sent Pyrrha flying into the air and she recovered landing on her feet. She transformed milo into its rifle form and begin firing at her hard-hitting opponent.

Bruz rolled to the side and tried to outlast her until she had to reload. Bruz was pulling all kinds of agile moves to avoid shot after shot, he pulled a handstand and pushed himself 2 feet skyward before landing on his feet and leaving a crack on the floor. Pyrrha had reached the point where she had to reload and Bruz whipped out his gun bow. He started slinging explosive bolts at her like there was no tomorrow. Pyrrha was somehow avoiding the explosive tipped bolts as they blew up around her, making the embattled Bruz shake his weapon in frustration as he rarely ever missed with his favorite boom shots.

Bruz swapped to his wood bolts and those seemed to have much better accuracy. Pyrrha then used her shield akuo to block Bruz's bolts and moved closer to try and find another strategy to use against him. Bruz ran dry on bolts and decided to make another try at using his fists to end this. He charged Pyrrha and began beating on her akuo with his fist with a special trick Max taught him to use against t opponents with one. His hammering away on akuo finally forced Pyrrha to drop the shield and Bruz flung it away like a frisbee. Pyrrha wasn't finished yet and continued dodging Bruz's barrage of brutality with her superior agility.

She managed to get a lucky strike, and dazed Bruz by hitting him upside the head with her milo. Bruz had paid for his mistake and felt it as his head spun like a top and his ears rang. He felt his neck hairs stand up as Pyrrha began her counter attack and Bruz back peddled to avoid her the effects of second wind. Bruz then remembered his trusty monkey wrench and concealed knife that he kept on him. He stated a reversal to get behind her and swung the wrench, him being the one to hit Pyrrha upside the head this time. She was thrown for a loop and spun wildly as she fell to the ground. The invincible girl was facing a real challenge with this opponent who had come from nowhere. She got up on one knee and struggled to get up. Bruz walked over to her and his imposing figure loomed over her with a big shadow. He bent over and reached his hand down, Pyrrha saw his gesture and grabbed it.

Bruz hauled her up and gave her a pat on the back. He then jumped back and ran straight at her. Pyrrha recovered and grabbed her shield akuo to block Bruz's charge. Bruz engaged his semblance and continued his rush as his glowed a dim red. When the two of them collided, a loud gong sounded throughout the coliseum that cracked glass and made ears ring slightly. Everyone looked into the ring and saw Bruz standing with his aura meter at 48% green and Pyrrha's at 19% in the red with her laying on the ground with Akuo having one massive dent in it. Bruz seemed to be frozen as did Pyrrha and the two of them seemed to be unconscious. Bruz began to move slightly from his statuesque position and slowly bent down to the floor and grunting in pain as the attack had also rebounded onto him. he pulled Pyrrha to her feet and the crowd roared with applause.

"There you have it folks! Bruz Rockatansky has just won the title match!" The announcer said to the crowd as confetti rained down from the ceiling and people began throwing in roses and other flowers. Bruz grabbed Pyrrha's hand and raised it along with his own into the air. He then collected the winnings and smiled his joker grin as he shook hands with Pyrrha and the two of them became friends.

"If you ever want another good scrap like that, I'll be around red. Until then take care of yourself, it's time for me to go to school." Bruz said with a smile.

"Thanks, and I hope to see you again as well. Wait, what do you mean by go to school?" Pyrrha tilted her head curiously.

"I'm shipping up to beacon red, maybe I'll see you there some day, so until then see ya around." Bruz gave a thumbs up as he walked away.

"Bye Bruz take care!" Pyrrha shouted as her new friend strolled along with his comrades to the cars.

"Alright boss, I'm ready. Time to go to school!" Bruz said coolly to Max before roaring with confidence at the new challenge that laid ahead.

-END CHAPTER-

* * *

A/N: Pyrrha and Bruz are just friends! I'm shipping him with Yang!


	18. An acolyte's warning

Mad Max: Road to Salvation

Episode 18: An acolyte's warning

* * *

[awsomerebel55: Yes it does.]

[EnriksD8: Err no, I'm planning on him being caught in a difficult relationship position. It would involve 3 lovely ladies, and none are Pyrrha, one is evil.]

[Clearwingyuta: It is nice, and perhaps he will find himself teaching, but I'm not so sure yet.]

[Review Dude: Well thank you, and yes sportsmanship is nice.]

[Charles: That depends, because it might be a difficult position for Bruz. 3 women may be interested, one is pure evil. I had planned to shake things up a little and that win contributes to a few things I have in the works.]

[TheDoodlerofWriteing: Yeah it wouldn't be, they're just friends.]

[Mr. ReadMore: Thanks a lot man.]

[Guest: Well, you could say I messed up there so I'll fix that later.]

[Ronmr: Thanks.]

* * *

It had been a few hours since Bruz's victory, and night had fallen over mistral. The road crew had found an empty lot near the coliseum to park their vehicles for the night. Qrow had gone off on his own to take care of some business and would be back later. Max was sitting in the interceptor with Anya, like a good father he was helping her get to sleep. Soon enough she'd have a nice warm bed, in a comfortable place where the crew could all settle down. The Road warrior just couldn't stop smiling as he watched the little girl he called his daughter sleep so peacefully. It was enough to make him wonder if this was life would have been like if he hadn't lost it all. He sighed to himself and left those thoughts for a later time. Max then growled slightly as he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

A mysterious and foreboding presence permeated the air as clouds began to roll in and block out the starlight. The road warrior then felt a vision come on and he found himself in the presence of all of his failed allies and friends. Max shook his head and forced away the memories into the dark corner of his mind. That was the past and it was meant to stay buried. After all, some things are forgotten for a reason. He focused on what was to come next, Beacon. He knew Ozpin would definitely have more strings connected to the deal, but at this point he no longer cared since the bargain had already been struck. The grizzled wasteland veteran leaned against the interceptor with the future on his mind. It was filled with uncertainty to be sure, this school would definitely be an interesting new place. He just sighed to himself again and went to lay down in the car and wait for the morning to call for Ozpin's assistance in the journey.

Qrow was doing some of his recon work, he knew his mission to find the maidens was paramount but it was not going to be easy. He had been doing his usual schtick, searching the underworld where he could and probing the rumor mill for info. Legends are just that for a reason, it was annoying but he had to get it done. Besides he could only do so much in one night and he was going back to beacon with the others in the morning to learn more about Max. That was the idea at least, from Qrow's perspective. The dusty old crow made his way to a place where he could chat with his friend over a secure channel. Thirty minutes later Qrow had finished his search for the secure location and began the transmission.

"Oz, it's Qrow." The veteran huntsman said over the line.

"I had expected you to call. How was the tournament?" Ozpin asked calmly as he took a sip from his mug.

"Of course, you did. The kid has talent alright, what still ticks me off is the fact that he's as foul as ever. I watched him beat crap out of that kid from haven like it was a walk in the park." Qrow reported his opinion on the skills of the reluctant huntsman to be.

"I am still confident on that front, all he will need is time to gain an understanding. What happened to him as a child, while tragic simply couldn't've been helped, no one can be everywhere at once. But I know that isn't the only reason you've called me at this hour." Ozpin said as he leaned back in his chair

"The kid aside, yeah. I've been doing my thing out here, but I think I want know, and see, what you have up your sleeve when it comes to Beacon's newest residents, Max in particular." Qrow replied and asked his own question.

"On that front, I believe one of our more secretive professors has a solution." Ozpin replied coolly.

"Like what?" Qrow raised an eyebrow.

"Think of it like watching home movies, except they're all projected straight from his mind. All in thanks to the semblance of said professor." The wise headmaster explained in layman's terms.

"That's a new one on me." Qrow said in surprise.

"Indeed, I made sure as few people knew of him as possible for this kind of reason." Ozpin replied as he stood up from his desk to stretch.

"Well who is this guy then?" Qrow asked with skepticism.

"You'll find out in due time Qrow. If my assumptions are correct, then I believe Mr. Rockatansky and his associates, as well as his adopted children, will be on their way shortly." Ozpin guessed correctly.

"Yeah, they're planning on calling in the morning." Qrow replied.

"I say, why not have them come now?" Ozpin said with a slight smile.

"Say what?" Qrow did a double-take.

"I'm sending a bullhead now to collect everyone, including you." Ozpin chuckled.

"*sigh*You might need two, or three." Qrow replied after sighing to himself in annoyance and simply being exhausted.

"Is that so?" Ozpin replied with his own brow raised.

"Yeah, we've picked up a small convoy. Off the top of my head, a trailer with a cycle on it, an ex-white fang armored car, and Max's own wheels." Qrow rattled off the list of vehicles.

"Ah yes that car of his, it certainly seems to be a marvel of engineering. I suspect some of our resident engineers would like to take a look at it, if he permits of course." Ozpin thought of the possibilities.

"The thing moves like greased lighting if you get it going at speed. I've seen what it can really do first hand Oz." Qrow vouched for the mighty vehicle.

"Of that I have no doubt Qrow, the bullheads will arrive there soon enough. I suggest you inform everyone about these developments." Ozpin said stoically.

"I'm on it Oz, Qrow out." The dusty old Qrow said as he cut the feed. Qrow made his way back to the makeshift camp and began thinking to himself on what was going to happen when Max found out Ozpin's latest condition. He stopped mulling it over since it wasn't going to change anything and went on his way through the city surrounding the coliseum back to camp. Meanwhile, Max was sleeping peacefully in the interceptor with Anya resting in the backseat with Dinki-di right next to her. Bruz though was up thinking to himself on the future and he was exactly a big fan of what he knew was coming. He laid there on the roof of the armored car and watched the stars in the night sky. The clouds that rolled in earlier had disappeared and the small lights twinkled above. Bruz started to doze off and decided it was time to shut his eyes for a while in the interceptor.

He climbed down from the roof and walked back to the car. When he laid down in the passenger seat to sleep he was out cold within a moment. As he dreamt he began to see things he'd never seen before, he was in some sort of dimly lit cavern and there were scribblings all over the walls. These scribblings though, they made an odd sense to him. He began to realize they were not ancient writing, but rather engine diagrams! Once he recognized the patterns he began to drool over them as he appraised each one. The intricate nature of the drawings was bizarre yet comprehensible in a very strange way. But then a strange figure of a somewhat diminutive stature began to make its way out of the shadows towards the unsuspecting Bruz. "I see you know the ancient scripts! Praise be, another worthy acolyte of the angel of has come!"

"Bah, who are you!" Bruz whipped around to see an ugly little hunchbacked man covered in tools and grease.

"Chum bucket's the name, I once traveled with him too ya know! You ride with the warrior saint; the angel has told me so." The humble little hunchback bellowed zealously.

"What are you jabbering on about hunchback?" Bruz said with a puzzled look on his face.

"I see you have it in you, you have the gift of the sacred art of the black finger! But you lack the wisdom and knowledge to attain the enlightenment of the angel's grace. I suppose this lowly acolyte could do his sacred duty to educate you. Follow me, I believe you'll want to see this." The hunchbacked little man made his way along the cave with Bruz at his heels. "You may have met the shaman, but he only showed you some of the knowledge you need. I shall take it upon myself to teach you the history so you may carry on with the driver as I once did."

"Wait a minute, I remember now. The bloody shaman, he mentioned you alright! You used to be one scrap happy chap!" Bruz remembered his short time speaking with Griffa.

"Indeed, this lowly acolyte was a true master of the mechanical arts! I admit I did once curse the saint for what he did to me and the angel. But it was in my passing that she revealed the truth to me, and I no longer hold any ill tidings to the saint for what has passed." Chum remembered his end and the death of the opus.

"Wait what?" Bruz was confused.

"The holy saint had to sacrifice myself and the magnum opus to strike down a great evil. But I understand thanks to angel's divine grace." Chum tried to give Bruz some answers.

"You keep mentioning an angel, who is she, if you're dead then how are we talking, and the boss killed you?!" Bruz said a heavy amount of confusion and surprise.

"Firstly, it is the holy angel combustion I speak of! Secondly, it is by the will of the angel that we speak each other through your soul. Lastly, yes, I told you the saint sacrificed myself, and the angel's image willed upon the earth, to destroy the unholy evil scrotus!" Chum explained.

"Okay then what's the magnum opus?" Bruz asked the hunchback.

"She is the angel made steel real, we are on our way to see her magnificent beauty now." Chum replied as they made their way to the sacred site.

"I've never seen an angel before!" Bruz said in a jolly tone.

"I'm afraid you misunderstand, the angel herself shall choose when you meet. For now, you will see the opus war machine! But do not be angered, she will see you herself in due time." Chum bucket tried to explain it to him.

"Alright then, I can live with that." Bruz shrugged.

"Huzzah, and we are here!" Chumbucket said as he gestured to the magnum opus. The engine was a bantam V8 with slick rubs for tires, the body was one similar to the interceptor and the exhaust was extremely beefed up. The suspension was built to provide smooth and reliable handling and the paint was jet black with a flaming yellow skull on the side.

"Woah, this is…" Bruz trailed off as he marveled at the sight of the magnificent war machine that is the magnum opus.

"She is stunning is she not?" Chum said with a smile.

"That's one way of putting it alright." Bruz nodded as he spoke.

"Yes, and when the time comes, it will fall to you to bring her into the world once more. Oh, there is also another matter we must speak of, it of the utmost importance!" Chum's tune changed on dime.

"Great, and wait what?" Bruz said with a look of confusion on his face.

"The child, the little one who journeys with you and the saint! She is to become the angel's holy vessel, she must be the one to receive the angel's holy gift! I must warn you of a fiery and deceptive temptress who will seek to take this power for herself! You must not let that happen, or tragedy and darkness shall overcome us all! The angel herself has foretold this, so she dispatched me to warn you and the saint! It is your sacred duty, as well as that of the saint, to protect her at all costs!" Chum charged Bruz with aiding Max in protecting Anya.

"Do you mean me little sis, Anya?" Bruz asked the hunchback with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, she is to be the angel's holy vessel! This mighty chariot of war shall be built to safeguard the chosen child, as well as serving to aid you and the saint in your holy quest! So, I warn you once more, beware the temptress of the flame, she who's eyes glow an amber shade of evil! If you are not careful she may corrupt you as well my fellow acolyte!" Chum said in a fearful voice as he warned Bruz of the imminent and insidious threat.

"Don't worry Chum, as long as I'm still breathing, no one is going to lay a finger on me little sis!" Bruz said as he slammed his fists together.

"Praise be, then I say it's to get gears cranking and be on our way!" Chum bucket said in a jolly and joyous tone.

"You're leaving?" Bruz said as he looked at chum with confusion.

"I'm afraid so, have to go back to the other side for now. But if you really need me, Chumbucket will be around!" Chumbucket started out in in sorrow and then returned to being joyful.

"See ya then Chum." Bruz waved goodbye to his new friend from the other side.

"Oh, you'll be seeing me again sometime my fellow acolyte of the angel combustion! Remember, protect the little angel, and tell the holy saint that Chum bucket forgives him!" Chumbucket shouted as he walked toward a bright light at the other end of the cavern.

"You got it Chum!" Bruz shouted to his fellow black finger as the cavern faded from view and bruz woke from the dream. It was still night time with the moon shining brightly along with the stars, and Bruz rubbed his eyes lazily. The young hyena faunus looked over around and began to really wake up. He looked over and saw Max still asleep as well as Anya and the dog. He breathed a sigh of relief that he was still here. Tehn Qrow returned not a moment too soon, with news of the utmost importance.

"Wake up everyone, Oz got a little impatient!" Qrow shouted to the sleepy denizens of the makeshift camp. Some of them jolted upright from the startling action while others were slower in their response. Max was in the former category and pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. He then proceeded to get up and prepare to get an early lift to the place he'd be spending the rest of his time in.

-END CHAPTER-


	19. Tragic Revelations

Mad Max: Road to Salvation

Episode 19: Tragic Revelations

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[awsomerebel55: well this is where you find out. "it was hard to know who was crazier, me, or everyone else."]

[Charles: well he did, and maybe I should've I don't know.]

[Ronmr: thanks mate!]

[Clearwingyuta: you'll see, I don't wan't to spoil anything but... Yes and no. I can't really say without giving something on that away.]

[Evowizard25: Thank you and you're right, to each their own. But that will play a different role, I'll use it to create tension in a different way with three words, new War Boys!]

* * *

The bullheads had come very shortly after Qrow arrived and almost everyone had their reservations about it. Anya and Daniel had both bunched together with Dinki-di keeping a watchful eye. One of the flight personnel had nearly incurred the vicious dog's wrath when they attempted to get close to either of the children. Suffice it to say, the dog was being very protective of the youngest members of his pack, especially little Anya who was he shared a deep bond with. Max had scratched the dog behind his ears for doing his job with distinction. Qrow saw Max standing by the open bay door and walked over to him to talk.

"I guess this has been a crazy experience for you so far, hasn't it?" Qrow said as he leaned on the hull next to Max.

"… I've seen worse." Max replied stoically while holding on to a safety rail on the roof.

"Really?" Qrow asked skeptically.

"Yes, I have and you should count yourself fortunate." Max answered the question with growing annoyance.

"I'm not exactly known for that." Qrow replied with an attempt at humor.

"What I've seen is far worse than anything you can possibly imagine. You have not witnessed the true definition of madness made manifest." Max said as he turned to face him.

"We'll see about that." Qrow hinted at what was going to happen in the morning.

"You're hiding something again, stop." Max noticed Qrow's attempt at being opaque.

"Hey you'll find out when we reach beacon, so technically I'm not hiding anything. It's just not my place to tell." Qrow said honestly.

"Fine." Max accepted that and returned to gazing out at the world of remnant as it passed beneath him.

"On the bright side, at least those kids of yours get a place to stay. Do you now how many parents would give the shirt off their back for something like that?" Qrow retorted.

"All too well." Max said grimly.

"That's right, you mentioned you had a family once." Qrow remembered his earlier talks with Max.

"I did, and now I have one again. I won't fail this time." Max said with fierce determination.

"Hey I know what it's like, I have two nieces I'd go through hell and back for. Their old man, A.K.A. my friend, was never the same after his first girl left him." Qrow told Max of his beloved nieces and their father.

"Your sister." Max remembered the psychotic woman who he had fought against on multiple occasions.

"Yep, she was always cold like that. She left him alone with his first-born daughter, my blood niece, Yang. Summer though, she was something else. What my buddy got out of that marriage was my second and unofficial niece, little Ruby. I miss her so much, Summer, I know she did a better job than my sister ever could have." Qrow remembered and mourned his other fallen team member/friend.

"You know what it's like to lose then?" Max said in a sullen tone.

"If I'm honest, it's really shitty." Qrow replied with his arms crossed.

"All anyone can do is just try to survive until things change, be it for yourself or everyone else." Max gave Qrow his philosophy on the world.

"Maybe so, I guess we'll find out. Anyway, I think you'll like it at Beacon. The place is top notch, Oz and Glynda make sure of that." Qrow said coolly.

"The assistant, what so special about her?" Max raised an eyebrow.

"Well aside from being a bombshell, you've seen the way she acts. Trust me, the last thing you want is to make a woman like her mad. Especially since she can do seriously crazy things with that riding crop of hers." Qrow remarked with his opinion on Ozpins right hand gal.

"Hmph." Max grunted, Glynda had made an impression on him alright.

"That's probably what she said too." Qrow said with a half-smile.

-BEACON TOWER-

"I have no idea what you think makes that thug so special Ozpin!" Glynda expressed her distaste for the brute of a man she and Ozpin had spoken with some time ago.

"He has proven to be quite the asset Glynda, all he needs is to be properly evaluated. Those skills we saw in the tournament displayed by his adopted son means he can teach problem students. If he could pass on those skills to our other students, I can only imagine the possibilities." Ozpin said as put a hand to his chin.

"Teach?! You want him to teach here, that ruthless thug?!" Glynda said angrily.

"He is not ruthless Glynda, Qrow had pointed out to me that the man held Raven's life in his hands a second time and spared her." Ozpin said confidently.

"Hmph, regardless, that man is a bonafide killer. Look at the trail of all the mangled bodies he's left behind! We do not teach our students to extinguish lives like that, even if they are criminals!" Glynda stated her case against Max's brutal and overly violent style of battle.

"I understand that Glynda, but the evidence proves he can train students in non-lethal tactics just as well as, if not better, than some of the best known qualified swat team instructors. I have Qrow's statements on the things Max did at the bar. Also, there is the prospect of what that young man did in the tournament which screams that he had been instructed by the road warrior. I would like to remind you that he did not kill any of his opponents, despite his misguided hatred for huntsmen and huntresses. I stand firm on the decision Glynda, and nothing is going to change my mind." Ozpin reminded Glynda of the actions done by Max to instruct his adopted son in combat as well as several accolades he had displayed during his Vacuo adventures.

"*sigh* Fine." Glynda sighed in defeat and went to get some sleep.

-Back with Max and co.-

Several hours passed and Max's crew were finding ways to pass the time if they were not asleep. From the air the world seemed almost peaceful to Max, save for the few nevermores and griffons that would pass by in the distance. The airborne grimm just seemed to avoid the aerial convoy altogether. It made Max uneasy, he felt as if the few Grimm he saw cautiously avoid them, kept leading him to suspect they were observing.

The unnerved road warrior relaxed when a set of large castle-like towers came into the view, and the dark creatures turned away into the distance. Max breathed to himself a sigh of relief and glanced back at Anya as she slept so peacefully alongside Daniel, and her furiously faithful furry protector. Krel then walked over to max and the two of them nodded in solidarity. Bruz, who been sitting patiently and sleeping often enough, joined them in gazing at their new home.

Slice though simply continued to meditate peacefully to himself, ignoring the marvelous sight of Beacon (or was he really?). The two women though, they were starting to wake up and grinned like very eager young schoolgirls when the fabled academy came into view. Mari was absolutely giddy at the thought of getting her own classes to teach. Amy drooled at the thought of Beacon's top-notch infirmary facility and the idea that she would be the new head nurse. This made the three men collectively groan in annoyance to which women responded by simply grunting and crossing their arms.

The three bullheads released their heavy metal cargo and then set down to let their passengers off. Two people were waiting patiently at the landing pads, one being more accommodating than the other. It was clear Glynda was not exactly overjoyed at the new arrival, except for the two younger children, especially Anya, to whom she had taken a subtle liking. Anya grabbed Max's hand and the two of them walked side by side towards the two waiting school officials. Bruz and the rest of the road crew followed closely behind them. The manic mechanic kept going over in his mind about what Chum had said to him. He glanced at Anya and quickly furrowed his brow in determination to protect her.

"Mister Rockatansky, a pleasure to see you again." Ozpin said cordially as Max approached with his entourage in tow.

"Enough pleasantries, I'm here now Ozpin, and I know you have something else important to talk about with me." The road warrior said in an unamused tone.

"Well straight to the point. Then please follow me to my office, we have much to discuss." Ozpin said to the stoic road warrior. Glynda eyed Max disdainfully and he ignored her harsh scrutiny with his usual attitude. The good witch then looked at the little girl who smiled warmly at her. This softened Glynda's expression and she decided to put up with Max's presence. As they walked through the campus to Ozpin's tower Max was making mental notes of the school's layout. Bruz saw what he was doing and instinctively followed Max's example. Both of them were eyeing key tactical positions all over the place. Glynda noticed this and became even more irritated by Max and Bruz's seemingly rude behavior. They reached the elevator and stairwell, everyone found their way to the right floor and into the office.

"You certainly have a thing for clocks old man." Bruz commented on the décor.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Ozpin said as he sat down at his desk and sipped from his mug.

"Take it however you want, I don't really care." Bruz replied spitefully as he leaned against a wall.

"Show some respect young man, now." Glynda gave him the stink eye.

"Ah sod off." Bruz replied bitterly and flipped her the bird.

"H-how dare you, insolent little-!" Glynda was mad now.

"Bruz, behave, that's an order!" Max ordered to his adopted son/student.

"Fine." Bruz growled while rolling his eyes.

"See Glynda, I told you he can deal with problem students." Ozpin remarked coolly.

"Oh, don't you start." Glynda said in frustration.

"As much as I enjoy the time we're having together, I think we should get started." Qrow interjected.

"Right you are, Qrow. If you'll simply wait a moment, one of our other professors, Emily Gray will arrive promptly to help us in this matter." Ozpin replied coolly.

"I thought you said it was a guy Oz, not her! She's full speed loco, almost like a crazy version of Bart!" Qrow said indignantly.

"I did, but I had to bend the truth slightly. It was for a good reason Qrow." Ozpin said stoic as ever.

"She's threatened to cut me into little pieces on more than one occasion!" The veteran huntsman shouted at the wise headmaster.

"I've gotten her some psychiatric help in recent days so there should be no problem." Ozpin tried to placate Qrow's concerns.

"Seriously? Fine, if something happens it's on you. And what might that reason you mentioned be?" Qrow put a hand to his face in grief.

"I'm afraid I can't really say. I can tell you it involves a wandering shaman." Ozpin replied after taking a sip from his mug again.

"That Griffa guy? What does he have to do with this?" Qrow asked inquisitively.

"He is on our side but he can only do so much. Either way, it's moot at this point to discuss it and our time would be better spent to focus on the task at hand. Wouldn't you agree Qrow?" Ozpin explained and tried to redirect the question.

"Alright Oz I hear ya." Qrow said in defeat.

"Why do I get the feeling I won't like what's coming?" Max said as to no one in particular.

"Don't know that boss, but I do know to be ready for anything." Bruz answered Max's question.

"Right." The road warrior said stoically.

"Hello everyone! This must be the road warrior, I've seen so much about you on T.V.! OOH that car of yours, I certainly must see it when I get the chance! The internal mechanisms on such a wonderous machine must be truly marvelous for it to survive the massive amounts of wear and tear you seem to put it through!" A manic woman in a lab coat, with purple streaks in her brunette hair, rattled off as she burst through the door.

"Professor Gray, I welcome your enthusiasm but please slow down. I trust you remember why I called you here." The wise headmaster tried to calm the hyper active scientist.

"Yes, professor Ozpin, and its Dr. Gray by the way, ooh that rhymed!" The over enthusiastic Dr. Gray tried to slow down. Then she spotted Qrow and narrowed her eyes in displeasure at the sight of Qrow who flinched slightly, with the room temporarily feeling as if it were freezing. "Qrow, do you remember what I told you last time that would happen if we were ever in the same room together again or perhaps within between thirty feet to a mile of each other?"

"Hey I'm only here because of Oz!" Qrow waved his hands in front of himself in a 'not the face' manner.

"Emily!" Ozpin said with slightly more force, snapping the good doctor out of her bloodlust.

"Right, you wanted me to take a little peak inside this man's head." The good doctor said as she gestured to Max, quickly turning her attention away from Qrow, who wiped the sweat from his brow in relief.

"What?" Max said with a confused look on his face.

"I second that what and raise you an, err?" Bruz said as he tilted his head.

"Oh silly, that means I'm going to use my semblance to sift through your memories and find some info for the headmaster." Doctor Gray said in eerily cheerful tone as she put a finger to her cheek cutely. The presence of the overly energetic doctor made Max uncomfortable to say the least. Needless to say, her being there was still very necessary for what was about to happen. Everyone got ready with a chair to sit down on and Qrow mysteriously obtained popcorn. Bruz wanted some of it and so did a few other to which the veteran huntsman reluctantly shared. "Alrighty, let's get started. Now you might feel a slight pinch, or this will really hurt depending on your overall perception of pain. Maybe you should put it on a scale of one to ten, just in case." Emily said in an eerily cheerful voice.

"Pain is something I've learned to live with, I'll be fine." Max said as he tried to get comfortable in the chair.

"You're not the first person to tell me that, and now that person is in a morgue with a little toe tag. But not because of what I'm about to do now, that would be crazy. But then again, I may have driven someone crazy the last time I did this, I don't recall." Doctor Gray said manically with her sunny smile on plastered on her face.

"Just do it!" Max growled impatiently.

"Don't mind if I do!" The good doctor said cheerfully as she started peeling back the layers of Max's mind and projecting them into the room. Everyone was now seeing Max's life from his days in the MFP to the fall society itself. The killing, the destruction, the madness, all of it in plain view for them to see. Amy covered Daniel's eyes, while Glynda did the same since she was standing next to Anya. The first thing they saw was the end of the rampage of the night rider as Max out drove him and he wrecked. After that Max's conflict with the Bikers and their leader toe-cutter came into view.

"Oh my god…" Qrow said as he watched Max's family die. Everyone watched as the bikers ran down Max's wife and son in cold blood. Max's brutal campaign of revenge made them cringe as he abandoned his morals and no longer upheld his duty to the law but a now a duty to himself to exact vengeance.

"This is a nightmare. How did he even live like that? His family gone in an instant." Mari said as she watched Max's ride through hell itself and put a hand to her face in horror.

"He was not living, he was surviving. This is what our world could become if we fail to save it, or perhaps even worse." Ozpin said stoically as he felt sorrow for Max's loss. He knew the stakes, and now he knew Max's bleak existence as a lone wanderer.

"I didn't know, so this is what made him the way he is. The way I treated him…" Glynda said with sorrow as her prejudice melted away and in its place, was shame.

"Now you understand, he is the way he is for a reason, and this is that reason." Ozpin replied as he got up and tried to console his assistant. Next came the time max saved the people trapped in the outback refinery from the ruthless and depraved marauders led by the psychotic warlord Humungous. Eventually they reached the point of Max's troubles in gas town and his war to reclaim what was rightfully his from the forces of Scrotus one of the sons of the immortan joe. That ultimately led to joe's retaliation and Max's capture for use as a blood bag. They saw it all, his losses, from his first family, to deaths of his various allies. Including but not limited to, his first dog, some of the remaining people who fought alongside him on the rig, Chum-bucket, Nux, Angharad, and then the loss of Glory and her Mother hope. They were two people who Max had failed in his refusal to protect them until he felt the need to avenge them. They saw it tear him apart from within as he kneeled down to check on the barely alive Glory. The entire room watched on as he roared in sorrow when the innocent child silently died in his arms. Almost everyone felt true anger in their hearts as the voice of Scrotus's deceased and twisted underling stank-gum echoed in the background with demented joy at the demise of Max's second chance at a family.

The women in the room had tears streaming from their eyes as they watched him lose it all. Qrow was at a loss for words, as he had never seen a man lose so much, and still be willingly alive. Krel broke down in tears as he saw Glory die since he had a soft spot for children. Slice bowed his head in prayer and murmured sacred words in mourning for those his associate had lost. The two children had been told to look away and they did so obediently. Bruz was stunned by it, Max's past. His respect for his adoptive father grew when he saw him take his revenge against Scrotus and rip the blade from his head. Everyone in the room, save for the little ones, rejoiced at the demise of the warlords, and their psychotic servants, who got what they deserved. But within Max's mind, he was in a battle the survive his own inner demons.

"Why didn't you save us? You failed us! We all trusted you and you failed all of us!" The ghosts began to surround him and tried to overtake him. Max gritted his teeth and tried to tell himself it wasn't real, only to face even more opposition from the specters. "You promised to help us Max! Why did you let them kill us?!" They wailed at him as he gripped his head in agony. "Will you fail them like you failed us?! Will you fail her?! Answer us Max!" The wailing ghosts of days past circled max like vultures to pick him apart from within. Max grunted as he tried his hardest to shut them out of his mind with all of his available will power.

The road warrior managed to break free and ran through his mindscape past mental images of his past exploits and all of his failures. At the end of it he witnessed it all over again, deep friah's temple. Hope was dead and rotting on the ceiling, her corpse crucified and cut to pieces. Glory was on the floor, beaten to a bloody pulp and dying slowly. Max watched his memory like a movie and he was left with his legs heavy as stone and unable to move. He watched glory die all over again and cried out in agony at the painful trip down memory lane. The road warrior refused to let this consume him, he had braved it before and it wouldn't conquer him now. He then saw a bright light, a light almost like that of angel's presence. It was Anya, she approached Max and the voices began to fall silent. They faded away and Anya's image reached her hand towards him with a smile on her face.

"I'm here Daddy, there's no need to be sad anymore." Anya sad in her calm and warm voice.

"I can't lose you, not like I lost them." Max said in despair as he kneeled in misery.

"You won't Daddy, I know you're stronger than this. Be strong for me, for all of us, please." Anya urged her adoptive father to fight. The road warrior looked straight into her eyes, and the sorrowful look on his tired face shifted to one of fiery determination. Max had now regained the one thing he sorely lacked once more, hope. He had the will, now that there was hope, he was ready.

"I will, for you, I promise." Max said proudly as he stood up and took Anya's hand. They walked towards a bright light that lead back to reality and Max's sea of tragic memories found itself at peace as they disappeared back to the waking world.

-END CHAPTER-


	20. House of the rising sun

Mad Max: Road to Salvation

Episode 20: House of the rising sun

* * *

A/N: I apologize if this time around I may have messed anything up such as character portraying since I was in a rush to finish this. If I have to I promise to fix and correct my mistakes. WHOO I've hit the 200 review milestone!

[Charles: Thank you very much, and yes that was and is in fact an alternate universe version of doctor Grey from the chorus trilogy of RVB.]

[Ronmr:Thanks man.]

[Review Dude: She will, he is, and oh Jaune will not have it easy under Max's tutelage. Salem can try alright but she doesn't know a thing about our intrepid wasteland war fighter.]

[Clearwingyuta: Possibly, there was a gift Griffa had given him but Max has yet to find what it is. Perhaps it will be something very special as one fan suggested sometime ago. That may be how he activates it.]

[Mr nice: Yeah it's not.]

[Guest: Yeah and now I notice the typo I will have to fix.]

[Scorch the 13th: Thank you very much, and I'm doing the best I can.]

[SilentType1997: Mark my words, she will freakin pay for everything she has done. No one handles the businesses of vengeance and payback better than Max.]

[Kenpachi1: Thanks mate, appreciate it.]

* * *

Within Salem's domain, the dark queen was watching Max and his associates arrive at beacon.

"That mortal is proving to be quite the nuisance. Well played Ozpin, now I believe it is my move." Salem contemplated her wise opponent's latest attempt to add to his arsenal. This mysterious road warrior's origin was an anomaly that left her somewhat annoyed. He had proven himself as a person of interest to her plans though, considering his over the top brutality that would no doubt be useful. He was one of the most dangerous individuals she had seen so far, and that meant he could be an invaluable tool to whomever controlled him.

"I could remove him for you my goddess. He is only one man, and there is nothing special about him in any way besides his negligible resilience." The demented assassin said with fervor to serve Salem.

"That won't be necessary yet Tyrian. Perhaps he may have some use if he were to see things in a different manner. But that does not mean we should underestimate him in the slightest." The dark queen said in her usual cold and heartless tone.

"I understand mistress." Tyrian said as he stepped back.

"Good. Cinder, I want you to gather information on him. If you are able, I want him to join our endeavor. If not, then he must be exterminated." Salem ordered to her subordinate.

"Yes Salem, I have something to contribute as well." Cinder obeyed and offered some knew information.

"What might that be?" Salem said with slight curiosity.

"There is also a boy he travels with, that may have his uses as well. He possesses great potential that could be harnessed with the right motivation." Cinder offered the idea to her dark overlord.

"Very well then, if certain he could be useful, then you know what to do." Salem said to cinder as her malevolent disciple of fire left to begin her objective.

-Beacon tower-

Max had woken up from his trance and everyone checked on him to see if he was still sane. Well sane for his level anyway, which he was. The road warrior looked to his daughter who smiled that warm grin of hers to melt her father's heart. Max picked her up and hoisted her on his shoulders. Glynda walked over to Max after he had put down Anya and decided to apologize for her attitude.

"Mister Rockatansky?" Glynda said in a calm tone as she approached him.

"What?" Max said as he turned to face her.

"I'd like to apologize for my behavior towards you. I didn't know how much suffering you've experienced in your lifetime. Can you forgive me?" The school's head disciplinarian said in a sorrowful voice to the road warrior who had suffered so much.

"I accept… your apology." Max said as he sighed in calm acceptance.

"Thank you." Glynda said with a small smile.

"Your welcome." Max said stoically. Anya then ran over to him with Daniel in tow and the little looked up to her father with puppy dog eyes to match her cute little puppy ears.

"Daddy can we explore? This place looks like something out of a story book! Pretty please!" Anya begged her adoptive father sweetly.

"Alright sweet pea, let's see this place has to offer." Max said as he ruffled her hair and ears.

"I guess I should be the one to show you around then." Glynda Said coolly as she strutted to the door.

"Perhaps you should." Max agreed. Then Ozpin decided to interject.

"That's sounds like an excellent idea, I have some administrative work to take care of. When you've finished your tour of the academy, I'll contact you via Glynda's scroll and you'll all return here for your orientation." Ozpin agreed with the idea and signaled for the rest of Max's crew to follow along

"Orientation for what? Teaching and staff positions?" Mari asked giddily.

"What else would I do that for?" Ozpin said with a small grin. "In the meantime, Doctor Grey, you'll be showing the new assistant head nurse the infirmary."

"OOH this will be so fun! You have no idea how boring it is sometimes having barely anyone to talk to since I'm the boss." The good doctor smiled in excitement and grabbed Amy's hand.

"A-Assistant head nurse?" Amy stuttered as the good doctor lead her away while babbling about all the fun they'd have together.

"Why does she get to skip orientation?" Mari raised an eyebrow.

"Some things are better off sped along, now go on. See all that the academy has to offer. I may even have a surprise for some of you at the end." Ozpin smiled as everyone left the headmaster's office. Glynda began her tour of the school and its facilities. Anya got close to Glynda and the head disciplinarian seemed to be softening a bit with that little girl right beside her. Max had decided to allow it since he understood Anya's friendly nature. Mari kept Daniel close and the little boy blushed in embarrassment when his 2nd mom referred to Max's daughter as his girlfriend. Daniel swore up and down that she wasn't which only hurt his case. Bruz though was taking an interest in the eye candy that occasionally presented themselves.

"Ya know boss, I'd say this isn't turning out so bad. There's definitely quite a market out there." Bruz said nonchalantly as he ogled some of the girls who he spotted walking around here and there.

"Rule 1, get your school work finished first, mess with girls on your own time." Max said sternly.

"Yes boss." Bruz grumbled and followed his orders out of the desire to avoid an afternoon to evening of pushups.

"Good, don't make me repeat myself." Max said stoically. He watched Anya coo with wonder at the majesty of Beacon's hallowed halls. The entire group continued to follow Glynda until it was time to end the tour. The usually strict disciplinarian even handed Anya a cookie for behaving herself so well, and unknowingly charming her way into the heart of the normally very strict woman. Krel was being cautious the whole time without really giving it away so much, after all he was in what used to be enemy territory. Slice had remained mysteriously silent the whole time he was with the group, Max reasoned that he was simply being respectful in his own way. Amy had simply been off in her own little world, day dreaming of her new job to herself without a care in the world. They reached Ozpin's office and everyone filed back inside, just like last time.

"Welcome back everyone, I would venture to say the tour went well." Ozpin said calmly and he was met with a collective yes from the road crew. "Well then I'd like to ask the opinion of the young mister Bruz."

"All I'll say is that I found a reason for this place to be tolerable, that's it." The young manic mechanic replied coolly, not wanting to incur max's punishments for further misbehavior.

"That will suffice, as for any of you wondering your other associate is, miss Amy, is still familiarizing herself with the facilities alongside our attending physician Doctor Grey. Now as for the new perks of the jobs should you choose to accept, Mister Rockatansky and Miss Futaba will start work as combat instructors immediately tomorrow after the announcement. For you Mister Rockatansky, there is a fully equipped racing garage prepared for the vehicles you and you group arrived with. If you wish to, you can help our technicians in examining and perhaps even upgrading your car. You will all be provided with your own staff dormitories to rest in. As for mister Bruz, while I would consider enrolling him now, I think it would be best if he studies independently until next school year."

"What about the two of us?" Krel gestured to both himself and Slice.

"I was getting to that; mister Bastion and mister Harris will serve as our resident security specialists. I have need of special individuals for special tasks, and the two of you are perfect candidates for the work."

"I accept the terms of the contract." Slice said as he bowed his head in respect for his newest client.

"Excellent, and you mister Bastion?" Ozpin was satisfied with the former assassin's answer and looked to the ex-white fang member for his answer.

"How did you know my name?" Krel tilted his head in confusion.

"It was not hard to discover your identity; the white fang had been pursuing you for some time and Qrow was able to help piece the puzzle together." Ozpin explained calmly.

"Fine, I'm in. Hey speaking of that drunken bird brain, where is he?" Krel agreed and then remembered that the veteran huntsman was nowhere to be seen.

"He has gone to continue his mission, although I suspect he may have gone to take care of a personal errand first." Ozpin answered honestly and then speculated on his associate's whereabouts.

"Either way It doesn't matter at this point. Let me be perfectly clear, the only way anyone is getting a look at my car is if I'm watching personally." Max said stoically

"Of course, I wouldn't have expected anything less." Ozpin answered with a chuckle.

"Good, now I'm going to sleep. Come on sweet pea, time for bed." Max said wearily as he gestured for Anya to follow him since miss Goodwitch had shown them the rooms earlier.

"Yes Daddy, it was very nice meeting you miss Goodwitch." Anya started to follow Max and did a little curtsy as she said goodbye to Glynda.

"Goodnight Anya." Glynda said with a small smile.

"I second that! I need sleep." Bruz chimed in.

"Third!" Mari agreed.

"Sounds like a plan!" Krel voiced his opinion and followed the rest of the crew.

"I would require rest as well." Slice said as he joined in with his associates. Everyone promptly left the office except for Glynda and Ozpin who began discussing the near future. Ozpin drifted to the subject of Glynda's change of heart towards Max, as well as her newfound affection for the man's adopted daughter. She tried to deny it as simply being more respectful from learning the sad truth at first. Ozpin wore her down and she had to admit that that her first impression had changed for the better. The wise headmaster could see what she didn't, and he didn't want to spoil it either, so he changed the subject and the view faded to black.

-THE NEXT DAY-

Max had enjoyed a good night's rest in the room next to his two children and the dog. Last night he had tucked Anya and she fell right asleep. Daniel had been sent by his two mothers to spend the night in the room with Max and his family. There was also a staggering amount of the sounds of banging and pleasure filled moaning coming from what was supposedly Mari and Amy's room. Max didn't even want to know since it was not his business what they did in their territory. Before Bruz hit the sack, he took a much-needed shower. The road warrior had found a note telling him to do the same when he woke up. After going to sleep and waking up, Max found his gear had been cleaned and repaired. He even discovered a brand new dress for Anya as well as a new hairband, pair of socks, and shoes This was an unexpected surprise to him, there was also a little note attached to his own gear. 'Take a shower before you start work-Oz' The road warrior shook his head and followed the advice left. After that, he found his new employer waiting outside his door.

"Good morning mister Rockatansky, I trust you slept well." Ozpin asked one of his newest staff members.

"I did, now when do I start?" Max stoically replied.

"All in good time, you will be teaching your own 'advanced' combat course aside from miss Goodwitch. The tactics you employ on the battlefield are best described as such. You'll be reigning in the problem students, the ones with your son's attitude for example. Others, will be those who need slightly more of a 'nudge in the right direction' if you will." The wise headmaster said as he motioned for Max to follow him.

"Fine, I do admit I taught Bruz, but I'm not exactly a very patient man." Max cracked his knuckles as they walked along.

"I remember what Qrow said, and I can assure you that this should be no different. Besides, you have a reputation and some students you receive may already have respect for you because of it. Your associate Miss Futaba, was more than happy to be teaching her own class. She'll be joining us shortly in the ballroom for the announcement of your addition to the staff." Ozpin explained coolly and they ran into Mari, who was grinning from ear to ear.

"*sigh*let get this over with." Max grumbled as they reached the stage.

"Hey Ozpin, and hey to you too tough guy." Mari said with a smile.

"I have a feeling you'll come to like it in due time, Max." Ozpin chuckled.

"Hmph." Max grunted as he crossed his arms while he waited for Ozpin to do his thing.

"Students, we have two new staff members joining us today. I'd like you to treat them both with respect and perhaps you may even have heard of one of them. I present to you, Professors Max Rockatansky, and Mari Futaba!" Ozpin introduced them and they made their way onto the stage as many of the assembled students were wide eyed at the sight of the famous Road Warrior, who many had seen on the news in recent times. "Professor Rockatansky will be teaching an advanced combat and survival course. For those of you who choose his class make sure to contemplate that decision very seriously. Miss Futaba will be handling another less rigorous course but still challenging nonetheless."

"Hi everyone, it's nice to meet all of you and I hope you all enjoy my course!" Mari said sweetly to the students below her. Many of the male students were more into ogling at her than listening. Some of the females who went the other way, they did something similar. Mari stepped back from the microphone and gestured for Max to step up. He simply refused and stood there silently, waiting for Ozpin to come back. The wise headmaster understood it simply wasn't his thing and went back to the microphone.

"Well I suppose not everyone has to speak. After all, actions speak louder than words. I believe mister Rockatansky's actions have spoken volumes. His class will also be for any students who require remedial lessons. So, I would suggest to all of you to avoid causing problems in the future if miss Goodwitch is not enough to dissuade your behavior. That is all the time we have for today, now all of you should return to your scheduled classes. Mister Rockatansky and miss Futaba's classes start today." Ozpin finished the announcement and walked off of the stage. Some students were feeling awfully cocky at the idea of the newest teacher's classes, others not so much.

-Several months in the future-

It was a dark and stormy night on patch island, the view centers on the front door of the Xiao-long residence and a cloaked figure approached the door with three baskets in hand. Each little basket had a pink bow tied to the handle, and small noises could be heard coming from the mysterious little bundles in the baskets. The figure set them down on the doorstep and glanced down for a moment before pressing the doorbell. The mysterious figure then swiftly disappeared through a portal as the door opened to reveal a confused and groggy Yang Xiao-long, who looked around before her gaze fell on the three little baskets. One of them began to cry and the blonde brawler instinctively brought them inside, carefully setting them on the living room floor. She pulled the blanket back on the basket that was crying to reveal a beautiful baby girl that happened to look oddly familiar. She started to comfort the little girl who began to calm down when she opened her eyes to see Yang's face.

"Yang, what are you doing up?" Ruby said groggily and rubbed sleep from her eyes as she emerged from her room to find Yang cradling something in her arms.

"Rubes, I think you might want to see this." Yang said in a concerned tone.

"What?" Ruby walked over to her sister and went wide eyed at what she saw.

"I'm pretty sure these are our little sisters." Yang said as she gestured to the baby in her arms and the other two baskets.

"WHHHAAAT?" Ruby said as she stared at the giggling mini-Yang in her big sister's arms and then the other two adorable babies. "They look just like you, but their hair is black, and their eyes are blue. So that means…"

"Different dad…" Yang started.

"Same mom." Ruby finished. "Do you think-?"

"I don't know what to think. I mean it's not everyday you see three babies on your doorstep that look just like you, ya know!" Yang answered and put her free hand on top of her head in confusion.

"I know you're right, but you know what that means don't you?" Ruby agreed and then brought up a possibility.

"She was here. After all this time, my mom was here, and she just left our little sisters behind for us to find. Just like me." Yang growled and her eyes began to glow red in anger.

"We should get dad." Ruby said responsibly.

"Get me for what? You two know how late it is right, *yawn* or early in this case?" Taiyang said as he yawned and stretched while walking towards his daughters. Ruby picked up one of the other two babies and she burped.

"Dad…" Ruby started off as she turned to face her and Yang's dad with babies in their arms.

"Meet our little sisters." Yang finished and their dad's jaw dropped as his eyes darted between his two elder daughters and the newest additions to his family. He started spouting gibberish and then fainted, falling backwards onto the floor.

"Well… that was a thing." Yang said as she and Ruby looked at their father and then at each other.

-END CHAPTER-


	21. Come as a friend PT1

Mad Max: Road to Salvation

Episode 21: Come as a friend PT. 1

A/N: Sorry if this is just filler but I have to get it out of the way.

* * *

[awsomrebel55: She did and Max is most likely far stronger considering all he's been through, and he could do a lot.]

[chandlerjones376: Thanks and yes I'm planning on it.]

[Review dude: You can say that again and yeah Cardin will get a lesson in hard knocks. Yes he is, and no worries there man. Well from what I've seen, maybe she is or isn't, it's confusing. Those children should grow up happy alright.]

[Scorch the 13th: Those will come pretty soon and be patient, the angel will live once more.]

[Gamerman22: He will meet them in time, and vengeance against Cinder and Salem will be sweet.]

[Charles: Well... yeah and I'm still considering it, they will see the few similarities. That's cool how you beat it.]

[SilentType1997: Yeah well it does and I wish I had but I'm just not so sure. This is where you'll find out how to tell the difference.]

[Ronmr: He did and your welcome.]

[UndeadLord22: You'll see.]

[Guest: yeah man.]

[Batmd: I wanted to but... and I'm holding judgment for now.]

[Evowizard25: It could but for Raven, considering what I just saw in the show... I don't know, but things for the good guys could change.]

[EnriksD8: Heh it will and poor Tai.]

[Dungeon Wyrm: Thanks mate, it will be nice for her.]

* * *

Back at the Xiao-long household, the two sisters had carried their knocked-out dad back to his bed and were enjoying the company of their baby sisters.

"Well sis, what do you think we should name them?" Yang asked her younger sister who tilted her head in confusion.

"Why are you asking me?" Ruby replied gingerly.

"Come on, you have to have something up your sleeve." Yang teased her little sister.

"I'm wearing a tank top Yang." Ruby deadpanned with her arms crossed.

"Fine, if you won't go first, I will. I think I'll call her Mei." Yang said with slight frustration and named the first of her and Ruby's baby sisters. The baby giggled in agreement with her eldest sister's choice and was carefully set back into her basket.

"I think she actually likes that too. I think I'll call this one Talia." Ruby noticed Laika's little smile at her new name and picked her next sister's name.

"Then I get the last one, who will be, Ada." Yang snapped her fingers as the idea presented itself.

"But how do we even tell her apart from the others though?" Ruby asked her sister.

"That's… a really good question sis." Yang thought hard for a moment.

"Ooh, get me a marker!" Ruby grinned with a brilliant idea.

"Why?" Yang didn't get it yet.

"You'll see." Ruby smiled.

"Here ya go." Yang got a black permanent marker from her room.

"Thanks Yang." Ruby grinned as she started doodling on Mei's onesie.

"Oh, I get it, you're marking their pajamas with little doodles." Yang put it together and had Cheshire grin on her face with joy.

"Yep, for Mei, I put a cute little doodle of Zwei." Ruby said happily and handed the marker to her sister.

"I want to do Talia's next." Yang said with a smile as she made a little crescent moon on Talia's onesie.

"I get Ada then." Ruby called dibs.

"But what do we doodle for Ada?" Yang said as she finished Talia's moon which made Ruby cross her arms in hard thought. "Uh what about a flower?" Yang scratched her head.

"How about a little bullet instead?" Ruby said as a lightbulb flicked on in her head.

"That works." Yang said as Ruby doodled their last little sister's symbol. "When we get the chance, we'll definitely get some patches to put on their clothes so we can wash them later."

"Awesome!" Ruby yipped with glee.

The two sisters then started trying to decide which room the babies would sleep in, and the scene faded to black.

-Beacon-

Things went on for a while with the new status quo taking shape. Max dutifully carried on with his new job, turning students into hardened fighters. Those who went into Max's class had stories to tell, some of them good, some of them extreme. Every story that circulated about him though, he was always brutally honest, he didn't sugarcoat his opinions and some of his students respected him for it. The ones with the brains to understand were the ones that usually picked it up quick. The ones that didn't, ended up gaining a lot of muscle from his strictly brutal fitness regimen. Some tried to challenge him and prove they were top dog, those were the ones whom Glynda had given the final warning for the ultimate punishment, barring outright expulsion of course. Max had made them regret that every single time, with a permanent reminder to never beat their chests again, unless they wanted to remember their numerous cracked ribs. There were also ones who tried to use personal status outside of school to try and usurp his authority, he made it perfectly clear that he didn't care, in his class they were all equal in matters of discipline.

Suffice it to say, Max was becoming known as Beacon's fiercest instructor to date. There were a few bullies who had smart ideas about picking on Anya, which Max and Glynda would work together on for delivering punishment. If anyone with less than peaceful intent got within a few feet of her, all she had to do was scream for her fiercely protective Daddy, or in some cases, her yet to be official and very powerful Mommy. There was also her best furry friend, Dinki-di around to guard her when her other protectors were busy. It had become an unspoken rule of the school, if you see the little girl, her protectors aren't far away, and they don't play nice when she's in danger.

Eventually, it came time for Bruz to actually enroll for his first year at Beacon. Bruz knew to behave with his mentor around so he barely said a word until the day before initiation. He was minding his own business in the ballroom until he got up to stretch and froze in place when he saw a girl in the corner that made his heart stop. She was a brunette with tall rabbit ears on her head and brown eyes. Next to her was a stylish girl with black aviator sunglasses and a black beret on her head. Next to them was a larger boy in a green short-sleeved robe with a metal pauldron on the left shoulder, and another boy in an orange sleeveless zip up vest with dark skin and dark copper hair. Bruz drooled slightly as he stood in a lovestruck gaze. Max was nearby and saw Bruz with that dumb look on his face. So, he backtracked to 'retrieve' his son/student. The road warrior slapped the back of Bruz's head and snapped him out of it.

"Who, what, where?" Bruz whipped his head around in confusion.

"Bruz this is no time for messing around." Max growled to his young apprentice.

"Boss, that bunny-eared beauty over there, she's just so darn pretty." Bruz said dreamily as he looked at the rabbit eared girl with the urge to howl or bark.

"Bruz, what did I just say? Because, I didn't stutter." Max made himself clear on the subject.

"*sigh* Yes boss, this is no time for messing around with girls." Bruz sighed in defeat as he shot one last glance at the bunny girl.

"Good, now get back to it." Max said as he walked away to take care of some more important matters.

"Uh Coco?" Velvet said as she caught Bruz's passing glance and looked to her friend/leader.

"Yeah Vel?" The stylish girl replied.

"Was that boy over there just staring at me? The one with hyena ears." Velvet asked in a timid voice.

"I think someone's got a crush on you! Oh, that's so cute! He's definitely a keeper." Coco replied as she got a good look at the road warrior's battle-hardened apprentice.

"W-What makes you say that?!" Velvet went red in the face with embarrassment.

"He's hot alright, all rippling that muscle, and I think I saw him on T.V." Coco tried to recall and snapped her fingers at the revelation. "Yeah, he was in the mistral tournament!" Coco ogled the dingo faunus as he walked away with his boss.

"I mean the crush!" Velvet shouted at her friend with her face still tomato red.

"Oh, come on Velvet, you know you're a catch." Coco said coolly. Back with Bruz, the young mechanic was thinking to himself about the days ahead. He had come so far now, it was just so crazy. He used to hate huntsmen and huntresses, now not so much. He still didn't like them much, but he didn't hate them anymore. As he thought to himself, two students from a different kingdom came over to talk to him. The first student was a tall boy, dressed in worn and older looking Atlas military junior officer's fatigues, he had black hair and red eyes. Next to him was his sister, her attire consisted of a black fleece coat, tactical gloves, combat vest, black pants with knee guards, black combat boots, and a skull balaclava on her face with goggles, and an eight-point patrol cap with holes for her extra bat ears. There was also a small bulge on her back that suggested she may actually have wings.

"Hey man, the name's Titus Rorschach, and this is my sister Sally." Titus spoke to the bored Bruz.

"So, what are you two blokes looking at?" Bruz replied with his arms crossed indifferently.

"All my brother is trying to do is find someone to talk to, you ass. Here I thought the people in Atlas were jerks…" Sally rolled her eyes at Bruz's attitude.

"You're both from that damn dictatorship? Cause Atlas can sit on it, and rotate for all I care." Bruz continued being rude without any regret.

"Don't dis our home ass face." The bratty batgirl growled at the extremely rude and crude dingo dude known as Bruz.

"Easy sis, just because he's a jerk right now doesn't mean we should piss him off. After all, we might get stuck with him." Titus tried his best to rein in his angry sister.

"Piss him off?! He's the one pissing me off! If anyone should be pissed, it's me!" Sally was being driven batty by Bruz.

"Heh, I know someone who beat the tar out of one of their best and brightest. In fact, I even went head to head with her myself. Didn't win, but I gave her hell." Bruz grinned smugly at his remembrance of Max's past victory against winter as well as his own run at the uptight atlas specialist.

"Who?" Titus looked at Bruz in confusion.

"Schnee." Bruz said her name with disdain.

"Wait, wait, wait, I call BS on that. There's no way in hell you fought a Schnee." Sally tried to call out Bruz on the facts.

"The only Schnee in the military is that specialist Winter, and she's part of the general's personal guard." Titus rubbed his chin in thought.

"I got proof alright, ask the teacher with black leather gear. But then again, he doesn't really like to say much." Bruz referred them to Max for info.

"If he doesn't say much they why should I ask him?" Titus was getting annoyed by Bruz as well.

"He's my old man, that's why." Bruz replied nonchalantly.

"You're lying you braggart." Sally narrowed her eyes at

"No skin off my bones if you don't believe me mates. Besides, haven't either of you heard of the road warrior?" Bruz put his hands behind his head in relaxation.

"Who hasn't these days? He's pretty damn famous for someone who came out of nowhere." Titus remarked.

"Too right mate, and I have no reason to lie since I never wanted to be here in the first place. To make a very long story short, I was dragged here, and since my boss is teaching, he won't let me quit. He'll probably give me a black eye for not even trying to succeed, so I'll just make the best go of it that I can." Bruz stretched out and explained the situation coolly.

"So that's why you're such a royal pain, and here I thought you were just a stuck-up loser." Sally chuckled sarcastically.

"Oi, don't push your luck batfink! I was in the mistral tournament, and I won the whole thing!" Bruz shot back.

"So what dog boy! You beat the invincible girl, big deal!" Sally snapped.

"Shut your trap, bloody rat with wings! Careful with dog jokes or else!" Bruz and Sally were butting heads with each other.

"Hey time out you two, you can beat the snot out of each other later! When you say your boss, you mean your dad, right?" Titus got in between the two rough housers and asked Bruz for the truth.

"Yep, it's what I called him before he took me in, still call him that out of respect. All the things I've seen him do… He's got a rep here alright, and I'm going into his class. Probably won't be too different from any other day he spars with me." Bruz answered Titus with less spite.

"You spar with him? That guy over there, the one in the leather armor?" Sally glanced over to the teacher who was overlooking the entire room with an almost angry look on his face.

"That's him alright." Bruz replied with a grin.

"He's the freakin road warrior, and you're his son?!" Sally let her jaw drop in amazement.

"Oi, boss?!" Bruz called Max over to speak with him.

"What Bruz?" Max was not exactly happy at that moment as Glynda had left him to supervise the first-year students.

"Just proving something to me new mates." Bruz said smugly as the brother and sister duo gaped in surprise.

"Don't waste my time son." Max growled.

"What else are you doing then eh?" Bruz asked with head cocked.

"Helping Glynda, all you need to know. Now I'm busy." Max said as he turned to walk away.

"No worries here boss, do what you got to do." Bruz waved him off.

"Behave yourself-" Max stopped to say his peace again.

"I know boss, I know." Bruz cut him off.

"Grrr." Max growled angrily.

"Heh right I forgot you hate it when I do that, sorry." Bruz scratched the back of his head in regret.

"Don't do it again." Max said as he walked off.

"Just how in the hell do you get him as a dad?!" Sally snapped as she was a big fan of Max.

"Oh, let's see, there's luck, destiny, fate, call it what you will. It was meant to happen and that's all there is to it sweet cheeks." Bruz rattled off the reasons with his fingers.

"I want his class!" Sally barked.

"Be careful what you wish for, the boss has a rep as one of the scariest teachers here, and nobody knows better than me." Bruz grinned his joker smile as he leaned against the wall.

"I'm doing what my sister does, and besides if we work together, you can show us what to do." Titus tried to bargain with the adopted son of Max.

"Oh, now you want my help." Bruz groaned.

"Yes, just team up with us already mutt-face!" Sally barked orders at her possible teammate.

"Not how it works batgirl, but since my Dad is on the staff I do know a few things though. We all have to find something in the woods tomorrow, and if we find the right thing, then bob's your uncle. I'll be proud to lead you two into battle though, I got an itch to kill something ugly!" Bruz found a box and stood his right boot on it as he raised his left fist in the air proudly.

"Yes!" Sally raised both of her fists in glee.

"Calm down sis, or I'll have to hurt you again." Titus deadpanned with his arms crossed.

"Aw come on bro, you know this is going to be so awesome!" Sally had a face of sheer joy under her mask.

"You two are definitely something alright, I'll tell you that much." Bruz giggled at the two bickering siblings.

"Wow that's the first not mean or braggy thing you've said all day." Sally said in a cool tone.

"I'll take that as a compliment, and let that one slide, for now." Bruz had a vein pop out on his head, but kept his cool.

"I'd say this is the beginning of a successful partnership." Titus shook hands with Bruz.

"Yeah, I'd say you're the brains alright, she must be the brawn of your little duo." Bruz stated his observation.

"Hey!" Sally snapped.

"I was top of my class in combat school when it came to my technical expertise. Sally is also no slouch in combat and demolitions, I fill more of a support rollllllll…." Titus trailed off as he saw a girl with golden eyes, silvery mid length hair, and sizeable assets on both ends. She wore a deep blue combat skirt with a rifle round bandolier, black leather boots, and a black boonie hat with a bullet in the strap. The normally stoic and calculating Titus was drooling as she approached. Bruz already had his sights set on the girl in his mind he was calling his 'fender bunny'. So, while he did want to whistle, he held it back with great effort. The pretty girl in blue then walked over to the three of them and looked at the drooling titus with confusion.

"Ok what's with him?" The new girl pointed at Titus.

"I think my new mate here looked at the sun too long, hat lady. Nice boonie hat by the way." Bruz joked and leaned on Titus.

"Thanks doggy-boy, I get that dumb look all the time, and I'm really not happy about it. It's not easy being me when I get boys breathing down my neck day in and day out. Just because I'm pretty though doesn't mean I want to be you know a-" The girl in blue replied casually in a slightly tired voice.

"I get ya there, as long as you're cool to me I'll do the same." Bruz crossed his arms and shook his head.

"Much obliged." The new girl agreed.

"Sorry about my idiot brother here, I'm Sally Rorschach. The drooling one in white is my big brother Titus and the mutt-face there is Bruz." Sally introduced everyone.

"That's getting old right quick you, batty brat." Bruz growled.

"The name's Aurora Kingsman, pleasure to meet ya'll." She said sweetly as she waved to the rest of her new crew.

-END CHAPTER-


	22. Come as you are PT2

Mad Max: Road to Salvation

Episode 22: Come as you are PT. 2

* * *

[Ronmr: That remains to be seen for now, but if I do I will start little by little. But yeah, it probably would be shocking.]

[Comedyfreak94: Yeah that's the acronym alright.]

[Charles: it was 2, but one has passed. And yeah Fender Bunny, I got that from a movie called bounty killer.]

[Review dude: Thanks man! Yeah it's gonna be hard with all that eye candy in front of him!]

[Guest1: Laika is the name of a dog the russians sent to space, Luna is another word for moon, and well Larissa has no meaning.]

[Scorch the 13th: Thanks and no he doesn't but perhaps he will later.]

[Guest2: No.]

[SilentType1997: That's a pretty good name and that is a big possibility.]

[Stylus Opium: I'll PM ya.]

* * *

Morning had come and gone with Bruz, Sally, Titus, and Aurora making there way to the locker rooms to get their gear together along with Coco, Fox, Velvet, and Yatsuhashi. Bruz shot another look Velvet's way and she caught him, leading them both to blush. Sally slapped Bruz out of it and the two of them nearly had a brawl until Titus stepped in again with Aurora's help.

"Oi, what do you think of my gun-bow here? I call it 'deadly sixer'." Bruz presented his favorite boom stick to his new crew.

"Nice stick shooter, but I got a real weapon here." Sally said as she hauled out a backpack that transformed into a heavy single barrel machine gun with an under mounted blade. "Meet my baby, Raid Buster!"

"The damn thing's a bloody cross between a single edge sword and a freakin cannon!" Bruz was hysterical a t the size ratio between the girl and her big gun.

"Yep, she fires a heavy-duty armor piercing caliber that was designed to slice through even the toughest grim armor. For some added spice and punch, I use explosive ammo. I love this gun, although something a little different never hurts. So, I added the blade to make it into a buster type sword for when things get 'choppy'. I can just imagine what I could do to a deathstalker up close and personal. Plus, I like to carry some grenades and bombs for good measure. Your turn for show and tell big bro." Sally explained her weapon's multi functionality and then pointed to her brother's arsenal.

"My twin smgs, Tommy and Joe, they fire .45 caliber ammunition and were meant to be held with two hands but, I learned how to accurately dual wield them. For my side arm, I have a special revolver that's been passed down from my ancestors in the atlas military service, callsign 'Silver'. Lastly, I have my heavy automatic rifle 'Gandalf' for suppressive and support fire. Like I said before I had my 'moment', I prefer to fill a support roll." Titus gave his friends the rundown on his loadout of choice and tactical style.

"You've got an entire arsenal on your back mate, and by moment you mean when you drooled over Aurora, hah!" Bruz remarked cheekily.

This visibly shook the atlas support gunner, with his face getting red from embarrassment. "I err*cough*, I've learned to be prepared for most occasions. These guns have been rebuilt and modified for their new lightweight alloys and polymers, so the weapons aren't the problem, it's the munitions I have to carry."

"Yeah, that always is thing, but better to have it and not need it…" Bruz started.

"Than need it and not have it." Titus finished.

"Those are nice boys, but I prefer my lady right here. Sally knows the way to being good with big guns, so I think she'll love this." Aurora said as she reached into her locker and pulled a large and completely collapsible rifle.

"You, beauty!" Bruz exclaimed as he looked at Aurora's sniper rifle.

"Nice rifle Aurora!" Sally barked gleefully at her new bff's big gun.

"Aww thanks, she's a little family heirloom from my dad, and I call her 'the longshot'. Perfect for long distance brain surgery." Aurora explained as she twirled the heavy silver rifle in her hands.

"Ok, that thing looks like it could blow the head clean off an Ursa of almost any size!" Sally said with a big smile.

"At most ranges too, accurate up to two miles, but she really kicks, so I like using her for more ranged shots. When things get up close and personal I prefer my classic 8-shell pump action, 'bone duster' and some good old-fashioned climbing picks. Otherwise, if you want me at my best, keep the creeps out of my face." Aurora gave them the low down on her own arms stock and her battle tactics. The boys nodded in understanding and they went to the cliffside along with the rest of the first years. Bruz, Sally, Titus, and Aurora were standing on the cliffside along with Coco, Velvet, Yatsuhashi, and Fox. Standing patiently beside them were Ozpin, Glynda, and Max, two of which were waiting for the third to truly begin the initiation.

"Hello everyone, today is your initiation into Beacon. The objective will be to find several relics at a temple hidden in the emerald forest. If any of you are wondering about the subject of team selection, your partner will be the first person you make eye contact with after you complete your descent and land in the forest. They will be with you for the rest of your time here at the academy, so best of luck in that regard. The rules are simple, all you need to do is acquire the relics and return here when you're done. But be warned, when you encounter any Grimm in the forest, you are on your own. The instructors have my expressed orders to refrain from intervening. I would suggest to you all to think of a viable landing strategy." Ozpin began explaining the task at hand and the rules of engagement for the assignment.

Bruz just stood there, arms crossed, and all geared up with his usual joker grin under his face wrap. Titus was stoic as ever and limbering up for the task at hand. Sally cracked her neck and checked her grenades as well as messing with her back and getting a big grin under her mask. Aurora un-holstered her Longshot and grinned as she readied up for the coming jump. As the line up got ready Max took a good look at all of them. He shook his head at the thought of what aura could do when it was explained to him. So far offers had been made to activate his own, if he had any, but he had yet to accept or refuse them. In his old world, doing what the students were about to was suicidal for the average person. Ozpin had informed him of the properties of aura and told Max that his concerns, while understandable, were not necessary as long as the students had their aura activated. Suddenly without warning, Ozpin launched he students one by one.

Bruz flew through the air with his arms spread out to slow his fall and watched Aurora use her shotgun for course correction before landing near Titus. Sally smiled as she soared past him on her bat wings, and gave Bruz the middle finger with both hands, until she hit a tree face first. Bruz laughed so hard as he fell, he almost forgot to activate his semblance. The young disciple of the road warrior activated his semblance of hyper durability and landed in a spectacular display with a small crater forming on impact.

"Stuck the super hero landing for 10 points! Suck it brat-fink!" Bruz bellowed as he stood up from his crouched stance and climbed out of the hole.

"Screw you!" Sally groaned from a tree high above but her voice was muffled by the cluster of branches in her face.

"I can't hear you over the sound of you eating tree bark face first!" Bruz shouted with glee up to his prospective new partner.

"When I get down from here-!" Sally started to rant.

"That should be easy for you! After all, you have wings don't ya?" Bruz snapped.

"Just hold on a damn minute!" Sally replied as she struggled to get her wings untangled from the branches.

"I'm waiting count brat-ula!" Bruz tapped his foot impatiently.

"It's not as easy as it looks whiskers, just because they're attached to me doesn't mean it's easy to unstick 'em!" Sally shouted down to him.

"Don't give me that crap, I know you can do it! Besides, we had better hurry if we want to catch up to Rory and your brother!" Bruz crossed his arms as he waited.

"Who?!" Sally replied in confusion.

"My nickname for Aurora, twerp! Now hurry up!" Bruz spitefully replied.

"Fine, I'm almost there!" Sally growled as she got herself out of the mess of branches.

"Heads up, we got company!" Bruz shouted to his partner as she slid down the tree and used her wings to land gracefully.

"Well now this is just f-ing great!" Sally unfolded her gun-sword and was busy slashing through the incoming grim horde.

"Less talking, more action!" Bruz answered as he stomped in the head of a beowolf. The two experienced fighters were mauling their way through the horde with prowess befitting accomplished novices. Bruz was doing slightly better than sally though, mostly in thanks to his time with Max. The young mechanic then fired a bolt that whizzed by Sally's head and into the eye of a beowolf, causing the head to explode from the fire dust charge in the tip. The bat girl nodded her head in thanks and decided to try using her heavy machine gun from a perch. She hopped onto a sturdy branch and rained hell from the canopy. The rounds were having the desired effect as they mulched the grim and gave several ursas a headache. The two of them were working together to get the job done despite their obvious distaste for each other. Bruz ran up a tree and kicked of to fire an explosive bolt at the ground and blow up several grim. When the fighting was done, Sally left her machine gun nest and joined Bruz on the ground.

"Nice shooting there batsy." Bruz gave his partner props.

"You're not so bad yourself cat-dog." Sally said as she reloaded her

"Alright enough name calling, let's move." Bruz got down to business and started moving along.

"What, cat got your tongue?" Sally said as she followed close behind.

"We have to make up for lost time." Bruz stated the business at hand.

"At least there's less grimm now." Sally remarked as they trekked through the forest.

"Rule 1 of the wild, always expect more Grimm, just because you can't see them doesn't mean they're not around." Bruz stuck his finger up as he laid down some knowledge.

"What are you talking about?" Sally tilted her head.

"*sigh*Figures, newbie." Bruz shook his head.

"How am I a newbie? We're both first years!" Sally had a vein pop out.

"I've had to survive the harsh desert for years by me-self, and more recently with me little sis and the boss. All that stuff you learn in atlas don't count for squat in the middle of nowhere like this. So, yeah in my book you're a newbie. But hey, if you're signing up for the boss's class then you're going to learn alright, better than the hard way in the field." Bruz explained his experience and looked on the bright side.

"And how in the hell does that make you an expert?" Sally growled as she ducked under a branch.

"I'm no expert, that would be the boss." Bruz was modest for once.

"Bravo on the modesty there." Sally slow clapped.

"I wasn't done yet, I'm a far sight more knowledgeable than you on the topic, that's for sure." Bruz smirked.

"Oh, so you're back to being a jerk now?" Sally said sarcastically.

"I'm just being myself here, the lovable jerk." Bruz told the truth.

"Great." Sally rolled her eyes with heavy sarcasm. The two of them continued on through the woods with success on their minds, as well meeting up with Titus and Aurora. A short time earlier, Titus had used his guns to cut down a tree as he descended and ran down the one falling tree to another. He saw Aurora land short distance away from his position ran to join her. The blue beauty wasted no time in getting to work and taking potshots at the local grim. Titus saw them starting to close in so he decided to handle crowd control. The atlas support gunner planted a dust charge he borrowed from his sister on a tree and created cover. He set down his heavy with and opened the bipod of his gun while Aurora was keeping them off of him.

After finally getting his gun deployed, Titus let loose a storm of suppressive fire from his heavy auto rifle Bard. He was tearing up the grimm as they focused on him rather than the lovely lady sniper. After the horde started to thin out Titus uprooted from his position and began using his smgs to mop them up. Aurora jumped down from her post and began using 'bone duster' to help clear them out. The two of were fighting together so fluidly, it was almost as if they were dancing together with each other. Aurora landed one of her picks into the head of a beowolf and jumped off as Titus ran under her to kill another one that took its place. An ursa major tried to rush him and his partner quickly un-folded her rifle to blow its head off. The corpse flailed about and dissolved while Titus silently thanked his lovely associate. After a few more minutes of fighting they were done and Titus wiped the sweat from his brow in relief. Aurora made her way over to Titus and the support gunner blushed as she swaggered over to him.

"Nice work back there, soldier boy." The blue belle sniper said with a cheerful smile.

"T-thanks Aurora, uh n-nice sharpshooting!" Titus stuttered in nervousness while he spoke to her.

"You're welcome partner. Now come on, we have to get a move on." Aurora smiled and took off into the forest.

"Right behind you!" Titus said as he chased after her. After a short time of running the duo started walking since they hadn't seen any threats for a while. Titus had regained his stoic composure on the outside but he was still off his game since he was now paired with someone who he found to be superhot. Aurora was busing herself by checking her ammo supplies and the action of her rifle. The two of them barely said a word to each other as they walked through the woods. As they continued on, sounds of explosions and gunfire rang out across the forest.

"That sounds like my sister doing her thing." Titus said as he glanced in the direction of the sounds of conflict.

"Don't forget about Bruz, I'm sure he'll take care of her." Aurora slung her compacted rifle on her back.

"She can take of herself, I'm more worried about both of them trying to kill each other." Titus shook his head.

"Aww, I'm sure they'll simmer down." Aurora smiled warmly.

"All I can do is hope, I know it's fine when I'm around to get between them but, when they're alone…" Titus trailed off as the scene briefly flipped back to Bruz and Sally who had started arguing again over something stupid.

-END CHAPTER-


	23. As I want you to be PT3

Mad Max: Road to Salvation

Episode 23: As I want you to be PT.3

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[Charles: Thanks man, and this chapter should fit the bill then. Bounty killer is alright in my book, it has its moments, but that's just me.]

[Review dude: Yes it does.]

[Hitler's Moustache: Thanks, and well I promised the readers a little somethin since Max was going to be with glynda, but it has yet to be solidfied so if you pay close attention you'll find I have some plans hidden for Max. He is going to marry Glynda that much is certain. But who knows what will happen along the way?:3]

[awsomrebel55: Interesting is one word alright, and the girls will definitely have varying opinions on Max. I know a certain kitty will have it rough, pun intended. They eventually will, but that will take time, the similarities are subtle.]

[EnriksD8: Not at all, in fact I should've done that! Ok, yeah, Imma do it now!]

[Old batman: Yes they will get hitched, but the matter of when eludes me for now, and yes it will be a boy.]

* * *

-Xiao-long Residence-

Ruby was a constant blur as she was busy taking care of her little sisters back and forth between all three of them. Each baby had their needs, one of them being diapers, which Ruby had to hold her nose when doing. If it wasn't Reyna crying, it was certainly either Talia or Mei. Ruby stopped for a moment to breath and wondered just how she had let Yang talk her into being the one to babysit.

"Come on Ruby, you know how much they like you." Yang tried to sweet talk her sister into being the one to watch the three little infants.

"Nope, I'll go get the food and formula, I'm faster!" Ruby tried to weasel out of it.

"Exactly, that means you can keep up with them!" Yang turned her words back on her sister.

"I can? Wa-wait a minute!" Ruby said in confusion.

"Glad to hear you'll do it sis bye!" Yang said as she disappeared through the front door and a bike revved outside.

"Yang!" Ruby shouted in vain as the oldest Xiao-long sibling was long gone. The babies had noticed the negativity in the room and began to tear up. Ruby tried to comfort them but it was too late.

"WAAAAAHHHH!" Mei was the first to start the cry-fest.

"Oh, here we go…" Ruby groaned as Mei whined which in turn caused the rest of the triplets to cry. She was brought from her thoughts again as more crying erupted from the cribs. At least Tali seemed to be slightly quieter and sweeter than Mei or Reyna. She was becoming Ruby's favorite since Talia was happy to sleep more often and seemed to love a teddy bear Ruby had gotten for her. The red speedster was really lucky when she found their binkies. In a great display of speed and care, Ruby stuck all three in their mouths and they magically stopped crying. She plopped down on the couch and breathed a sigh of relief at finally having some peace.

-Beacon-

The road warrior was watching his apprentice take to the field with flying colors and some dysfunction. He wasn't exactly happy with Bruz's behavior but he felt credit should be given where it's due. At least he was performing well in combat, that much Max could live with. He didn't really need to say it though, so he just kept silent and continued to watch the event unfold with all the others. Anya, Glynda, and Ozpin were standing beside him as well. The wise headmaster could tell Max's opinions despite how difficult he made it to do so.

"Go big brother!" Anya shouted as she watched Bruz kick some grim ass. Somehow as if in response to the little girl's praise, Bruz raised his fist in the air for a thumbs-up after he brutally punched in the face of a beowolf, shattering its bone mask. Sally cleanly sliced the head off of an Ursa with her 'Raid Buster' gun-sword. Back with Aurora and Titus, the two of them were rapidly approaching the temple, or at least they thought they were. They didn't exactly have intel on where it was but Aurora seemed to have an idea at least. Titus took point and held up his fist in the motion to hold their position. He spotted a lone beowolf and signaled for Aurora to take the shot. She unfolded her rifle and fired the round at the target, obliterating it.

"Nice spotting, you're really handy there, partner." The blue belle sniper thanked her partner.

"Aww shucks, well… you know the best snipers work in pairs. Besides, you're the marks-woman, I'm just a spotter." Titus replied bashfully.

"Well aren't you a gentleman, and don't sell yourself short by the way." Aurora smiled.

"T-thanks." Titus returned her sentiment.

"Shoot, it's no problem at all. If we're lucky we should get where we're going pretty soon, I think." Aurora answered politely.

"Yeah, we're headed to some old ruin out here to find some artifacts." Titus replied tactically.

"I think that's it up ahead." The blue belle sniper pointed to an old circle of pillars and rocks.

"It's a ruin alright." Titus said as he inspected the area. "Are these playing cards?"

"looks like there's eight cards here. We have some aces, jacks, kings, and Queens." Aurora tallied the card count, but suddenly a loud boom echoed throughout the forest.

"Incoming!" Sally shouted at the top of her lungs as she and Bruz plummeted towards the ground.

"Look out below mates, we're coming in hot!" Bruz roared as they we're about to land on their cohorts.

"Move, move, move!" Titus said as he grabbed aurora and jumped out of the way. This made the lady sniper blush hard at the brave actions of her handsome savior. Bruz and sally just missed the temple and made a sizable crater in the ground.

"What the hell did think you were doing!" Sally chewed Bruz's ear off.

"Taking a short cut! There's nothing wrong with what I did!" Bruz replied crossing his arms.

"There's everything wrong with what you just did! You wasted most of my arsenal!" Sally growled at her partner.

"Oi, quit whining you're in one piece aren't ya?!" Bruz snapped back.

"You're crazy!" Sally spun her finger next to her head.

"Tell me something I don't know. I'm used to firecrackers going off in my face like that." Bruz said flatly.

"Excuse me?! Did you just call my bombs firecrackers?!" Sally said indignantly, going red in the face to the point where it looked steam was erupting from her ears. "That's it!" Sally snorted as she and Bruz broke into a barrelhouse scrap roll. The batty brat got on Bruz's back and started slamming his face into the dirt. They spun again, this time Bruz was on top and giving her a wedgie. It happened again and Sally was pulling Bruz's arm behind his back. Round again and Bruz was

"Time out both of you!" Titus ended the argument as he approached the two of them.

"He/She started it!" The two bickering partners pointed to each other.

"What the hell happened?" Titus started interrogating them.

"He stole my bombs!" Sally was quick to call out Bruz.

"I made tactical use of a resource you were reluctant to use!" Bruz spat.

"Focus! What happened, in short." Titus put his foot down.

"Fine, I didn't ask alright! I'm sorry, there I said it!" Bruz owned his 'mistake'.

"Do not touch my explosives again!" Sally huffed.

"Whatever." Bruz waved her off.

"Now that we settled the matter, let's focus on-" Titus shook his head and was cut off by the arrival of Coco, Velvet, Fox, and Yatsuhashi.

"Well this is a fine how do you do." Coco said sarcastically.

"Oh, thank Oum, It's you guys." Titus sighed in relief.

"Greetings." Yatsuhashi said cordially.

"H-hi." Bruz blushed at Velvet with a dumb look on his face.

"Hey." The bunny eared beauty blushed. The two teams then looked at the various relics on the numerous pedestals.

"Are those playing cards, seriously?" Coco said sarcastically.

-Back with Max-

The road warrior facepalmed at Bruz's latest blundering the field. 'When he get's back, there will be consequences.' He thought to himself. But then he started hearing familiar whispers, not the whispers of madness but rather something familiar in a good way. "I'll be back, there's something I have to do." Max told the others.

"Of course, but do hurry back, I don't think you want to miss this." Ozpin advised his associate.

"I'll watch Anya while you take care of your business." Glynda said with a small smile.

"Hurry back daddy." Anya said sweetly.

"Thanks, and I will sweet pea, I promise." Max said as he walked away. The whispers led him to a place on the edge of the campus surrounded by boulders and various large rocks. Upon said rocks were the various tribal markings that pointed to one entity Max knew all too well. He walked down the narrow path to see Griffa standing in the circle again, as per the norm with him.

"We meet again old friend. I knew the shifting sands would lead you back to me once more as they always do." The outback mystic said as Max approached him.

"Why have you summoned me?" The road warrior asked stoically.

"I came to inform you of something you have yet to learn for yourself. But then again, perhaps you are not ready for it, yet. This type of information is priceless to those who actively seek it or seek to create it. The things I speak of are some of the greatest treasures to the right individual, yourself in particular. It is a great matter of choice, fate, and even destiny." Griffa spoke ominously.

"What have you come to tell me?" Max calmly demanded.

 **Griffa:** "I suppose a clue is not out of the question. It has been said that a legacy is what many hope to leave behind when they themselves cease to exist. Wealth, riches, fame, and even power, all mean nothing to someone who simply desires a legacy like most, be it one of good or evil. So many dream of enjoying a torchbearer to carry on that legacy. Some though, would not dare to do so out of concern to prevent their suffering. The masses suffer this terrible fate, those who are lost without guides. A rare few lost souls are saved to be given love and care in the light, even fewer though rise to do so again with good conscience, some simply turning to darkness and corruption that greed or weakness brings. Sadly, many others fade into the endless pit of existence to be tragically corrupted and or forgotten by an unforgivingly black-hearted world. Your potential for a legacy is stronger than you know, perhaps even far stronger than I can dare to say." The outback mystic paused for a brief moment before resuming his dispensing of knowledge. Max waited patiently while trying to ponder the riddle in his mind as the mystic paused.

 **Griffa:** "The currently hidden full strength in that potential for your legacy could grow perhaps by one or two, but only one remains certain for now, while the other may never come to exist. It all depends on you and your actions, five are already in the world, the next one shall be forged in a bright, and elegantly powerful, yet loving cauldron, that much is certain. The other, could be sculpted from beautifully sparkling ice, so cold, yet so strong and magnificent in its honed gem-like grace. **This is all up to you** wanderer, **choice** can breed **fate** , and that fate itself may yield great **destiny** in the **future**. I know you will protect your legacy tooth and nail. But, perhaps this information will drive you on a quest to continue forging and strengthening it even further. Maybe even now your legacy could seek to strengthen itself, on its own accord, if the right connection is made. Of course, that could carry severe consequences if it even occurs at all with either one, two, or perhaps even all three paths of doing so. In the case of extraordinary luck, it could be done simultaneously."

 **Griffa:** "That is all I have to say for now, but before I leave again, perhaps you need another gift. It is up to you to determine whether you use it or not, for this gift is a great power. One wielded by others you know in this world. But not as many as you think, for it is far different from the last one I bestowed to you, which you still have yet to activate. But it is otherwise similar, and a dusty old bird you know holds this type of power, but your result is entirely different, I can say that much. You must discover it of your own volition if you wish to do so, it is all a simple matter of **possibility**." The shaman finished his message, blowing a puff of dust into Max's face and disappearing as usual.

The road warrior found himself kneeling again on all fours before he hauled himself back to his feet. What Griffa had said this time was far stranger than the usual, but still cryptic nonetheless. Max sighed to himself on the confusing message and decided he would ponder it later as he walked back to the school to watch his adopted son carry out his mission. But as he walked away, a mysterious figure watched him move toward the school. Her eyes glowed their amber shade sinisterly with hostile intent. She had heard everything the mystic said, and with that information in hand, despite its cryptic nature, was nonetheless invaluable. Two more figures emerged from the shadows of the trees and looked to their leader. She turned back to them with a devious smile on her face that would make grown men cringe. On that unsettling note, they returned to the sinister darkness of the trees and their malefic dark queen.

Back with the two teams of young fighters, the eight young warriors were selecting their pick of the cards. Bruz picked up the jack of spades, while sally grabbed ahold of the ace of the ace of spades. Titus was the one to pick up the king of spades, and Aurora curled her lovely fingers around the spade's queen. Coco chose the queen of diamonds, and velvet latched on to the jack of diamonds, Fox selected the ace, leaving Yatsuhashi with the King. Then as they started patting each other on the backs, a loud roar erupted from the forest. It seemed the Grim had come for round two, and they wee playing for keeps. Each fighter equipped their weapon of choice, one by one.

"Bruz, take my extra sub machine gun." Titus quickly tossed his extra gun to the young mechanic.

"Oi, this is your other smg?!" Bruz barked as the grim surged forward.

"I got an extra, and you need it more than I do!" Titus shouted as he let loose with his heavy auto rifle.

"Just grab it and shoot you dumbass!" Sally roared while she sliced through a group of beowolves.

The young mechanic grinned his joker smile as he started firing wildly into the horde of grim with the reliably powerful old-school sub machine gun. He blew smoke off the compensator as he turned to face the direction of his friend. "Bloody rippa of you mate, I'll take care of it! By the way brat-girl, sod off!" Bruz thanked his partner's brother and flipped off the smaller girl with the giant sword.

"Lock and load boys and girls, it's time for a good old fashioned smackdown!" Aurora called out as she started firing her massive rifle at the grim that approached from a nearby open area.

"When this is over, I am definitely going to have to discuss the way some of you dress!"

"I've been thinking the same thing about them myself!" Aurora tipped her hat to Coco.

"Finally, someone who has a good sense of style!" The fashionista bellowed in agreement as she unleashed the power of her mini-gun. The massive horde of grim was barely showing any sign of thinning out, despite the valiant yet uncoordinated efforts of the brave and talented young heroes. Titus saw what was happening and took a moment to breathe as he watched the battlefield slow down to a crawl. Bruz was dual wielding the smg and his gunbow while a large explosion erupted behind him from one of Sally's remaining dust charges. The heavy machine gunner fired her raid buster at the horde with a smile on her face as she enjoyed the destruction raging around her. Titus's view drifted to the beautiful Aurora who had been lifted into a tree by Sally, was blowing the heads off of grim like they were practice dummies. Coco was firing her mini-gun at the advancing grim to hold them back, while Yatsuhashi was covering her by taking the grim that got by her. Fox was pulling acrobatic moves that would make event eh best performers drop their jaws in awe as he rapidly hit and dodged the grim that tried to gang up on velvet. The bunny eared girl was using a photo-copied version of Sally's raid buster to act as the third machine gunner of the group. The boy from atlas watched time speed back up as he grappled with a beowolf that was trying to bite through his rifle. He roared at the beast as he pushed it back and it fired the entire magazine into its mouth. Titus fell back, deciding to end this here and now.

"Sally!" Titus shouted to his sister.

"Busy bro!" Sally replied as she hacked apart an ursa major.

"Don't care, I want you to direct your strikes at the grim coming towards Aurora!" Titus shouted to the heavy machine gunner.

"Are you crazy?!" Sally shouted as she swapped her weapon to gun mode.

"Do it, that's an order!" Titus ordered to his sister and then turned his attention to Bruz. "Bruz, I need you to support Sally and Aurora!"

"On it mate, after all I wouldn't be a gentleman if I let the women do the work!" Bruz grinned and made his way over to the girls.

"Oh, now you're a gentleman?!" Sally growled.

"Aw, bite me!" Bruz snapped as he fired his gun bow towards the incoming grim and reloaded the smg. Coco saw what Titus was doing and started following his lead with the others. With their powers combined they started to push back the grim horde in an epic display of teamwork. As the horde thinned, the fighters grew even fiercer in their intense drive for victory. As the numbers fell into the single digits a rumble was felt underground as cracks formed beneath the valiant figheters. Suddenly a giant king taijitu burst out of the ground and started attacking them. The snake swung its other end at them in an attempt to crush its prey. Sally reacted quickly and levied a huge slice at the creature, causing it to roar in pain. The beast angrily knocked her away and tried to eat her. Bruz charged in to save her and punched the offending head while his semblance was active to redirect the attack.

He kneeled down and picked up the dazed and tired bat faunus. "Get your bloody arse up! I'm not letting you die on my watch, got?! Besides, your brother would have my hide for it!"

"Grrr… thanks." Sally begrudgingly accepted his gesture.

"Don't mention it, ever." Bruz said sourly as he went on to deal more pain to the snake.

"Everyone, focus your fire on this thing! We can do this!" Titus called out to his fellow initiates. The entire group followed his lead and the giant king taijitu was being bombarded on all sides by the invigorated team members who united in their fighting spirit. After enough of a brutal beat down, the snake had enough and with one last mighty roar, the grim snake collapsed on the ground and faded to ash. Bruz put his foot on the dissolving creature and raised his fist proudly. Everyone joined in the victory celebration, even Sally who lightened up a bit.

"WE RULE!" Bruz bellowed in victory.

-END CHAPTER-


	24. Rise and Resurrection

Mad Max: Road to Salvation

Episode 24: Rising and Resurrection

A/N: In this chapter for those familiar with fury road I hope you're okay with this chapter. Oh and I'll be doing rewrites since I'm changing Bruz's faunus traits to those of a Dingo since it would suit him better.

* * *

[Clearwingyuta: depends on what you mean, because they are his daughters. if you mean they're mentally linked or something then no.]

[Guest 1: yep.]

[Sam hill: yes, that alludes to the possibility that it could happen.]

[batmd: I am heavily considering that, the Warboys may return, but I'm thinking more like something from the dark knight returns. But that is a plausible idea so I won't rule it out.]

[EnriksD8: Thanks and well the message has to be cryptic. But if you want an answer then, what's your question?]

[Hitler's moustache: Woah man, that's not what I meant by that! I promise I'm not doing a harem for Max ok! I'm just considering Max having a one night stand with Winter! I left that open earlier and it's my responsibility as the writer to fix that. It does matter to me! I have really big plans in store to expand the story in the future and another mini max is a part of it ok.]

[Charles: Thanks man and yeah I'm very curious as to how that happened in the first place.]

[Guest 2: That will be the end result. I'm just tying up a loose end, and opening a door for the future.]

[Guest 3: I'm pretty sure they will.]

* * *

-Beacon-

The students had returned from their initiation with ridiculous amounts of pride on their faces as they strutted onto the stage.

"Coco Adel, Fox Alistair, Velvet Scarletina, Yatsuhashi Daichi. For retrieving the diamond cards, you will now be Team CFVY. Led by miss Coco Adel." Ozpin announced the official formation of the team. Coco was ecstatic to be the leader of the new team. Fox and Yatsuhashi were far subtler in their pride while velvet was still very shy. After they made their way off of the stage, Bruz, Aurora, Titus, and Sally walked proudly into the warm spotlight of the center stage. "Bruz Rockatansky, Aurora Kingsman, Titus and Sally Rorschach, for collecting the spade cards, you will now be known as Team BATS, led by Titus Rorschach." Ozpin continued his announcement and Titus was stunned by this. Sally was deeply enjoying the acronym for her own reasons, while Bruz was a bit disappointed at the fact, at least the weight wasn't on his shoulders. Aurora gave Titus a peck on the cheek for hitting it big, which practically caused Titus to explode with joy. Bruz and Sally shook their heads comically at the sheer joy their leader expressed before turning their heads away from each other in spite.

"Come on you two, just simmer down already." Aurora said as she looked at the two feuding faunus members of Team BATS.

"Tell that to his/her ass." The two of them said in eerie sync.

"Stop mimicking me!" The kept in sync, to both of their annoyance.

"You first!" The trend continued.

"Both of you for the love of Oum, SHUT UP! We're going to be stuck together for the next four years so get your shit together! I won't say it twice; do you get me?!" Titus lost his shit and silenced the two feuding partners.

"Fine mate, you're the boss." Bruz growled.

"Okay big bro." Sally shrank at her brother's outburst. The rest of the team then made their way to the dorm where they'd be staying after the ceremony was over. Bruz had been congratulated by his fellow road crew members and little sis. Max told his apprentice of his pride, lifting Bruz's spirit, and that he'd be in for a world of hurt in the morning, causing the young mechanic to wince. With that done, he went to meet up with his team as they began organizing the room since they still had time to kill that night.

"Well mates, welcome to the boss's house of max pain. Enjoy your stay." Bruz remarked sarcastically as he kicked in the open door.

"Did you have to kick door?!" Sally snapped.

"Yes, I did.!" Bruz replied bombastically with his joker grin under the face wrap he wore.

The bat faunus wanted to explode in anger but remembered her brother's anger and let it slide with a sigh. "As I was saying anyway, what could be worse, because I mean just how bad it could be, really?" Sally said confidently.

"Ah, a glutton for punishment I see. Mark my words, oh you are so going to regret that poor choice of words later. I personally guarantee it." The young mechanic said with a heavy amount of pessimism in his voice.

"I'll take whatever he can dish out road-boy! We members of the Rorschach family are tough as they come! Tell him bro!" Sally got in Bruz's face and started bragging about her family history.

"Leave me out your debate little sis. I've heard some of the stories though, word does get around. All I will say on the matter is that it is going to be an extremely long four years for all of us. Oum willing, we all survive." Titus tried to stay out of the petty argument.

"Don't say I didn't warn you mates. I hope you all have strong stomachs, because the boss has a way with finding food." Bruz grinned smugly as he delivered another warning of the gnarly ways Max teaches his class.

"What, is he gonna makes us eat maggots and canned dog food?" Sally rolled her eyes with sarcasm. Bruz began to giggle at the surprising accuracy of Sally's sentence.

"You have no idea brat-fink, but then again maybe you do." Bruz said cryptically, earning the curiosity of his teammates. "Speaking of it, I think we'll all enjoy some of the more constructive parts of the class." Bruz said as he plopped down on his own bed after setting a bag of tools off to the side.

"I've heard some rumors about a car of his, we get to learn combat driving and maintenance, I think." Aurora chimed in with what she heard.

"The boss is the best driver this side of the continent. He'll teach the rules of the road alright, heck I think you can get a license in his class if I'm not mistaken. But don't hold me to that last part." Bruz said as he stretched himself out.

"Alright if everyone's done, let's get some shut eye. Tomorrow's going to be a long day." Titus said in exasperation and everyone said their goodnights as Aurora flicked the light off.

-with Jaune Arc earlier that day-

The young teen was currently laying down in his bed with his hands behind his head being lazy. His sisters were being themselves and he was just thinking about what he was going to do today since he had no homework or anything to do and it was Sunday. He remembered his X-ray and Vav comic collection that he'd kept safe from his sisters, he picked one up and began laughing at the antics of the two super-noobs. After reading those for a while, he decided to take a nap and enjoy some peace and quiet in his slightly messy room. but that's when something weird started to happen, as he napped he slipped into a dream. This was no ordinary dream though as the young teen was about to discover. No sooner had he fallen asleep as he began to open his eyes again, but this time he was not in his own room.

'W-where am I? This isn't my room!' He thought to himself in panic mode. He tried to move but felt tired and groggy as he began to wake up himself up. He looked around to see various tribal markings on the black cavern walls around him along with several cages. Looking to his wrist, he noticed his skin was ghostly pale and there was a blood transfusion tube attached to his wrist. He began to hear a drumbeat in the background as well as loud chanting and yelling. Then several other teens and even grown men ran past him, their skin pale white and faces covered with black grease. Another one ran by him and he tried to grab the guys' wrist as he stomped by. When Jaune tried to speak what came out of his mouth was not his own voice or even his own words.

"Slit, what's going on?! Slit?!" He asked as the tough and vicious looking teen walked away.

"Betrayal, an imperator gone rogue!" A stranger said as he shuffled to the other end of the cave.

"Who?!" Jaune asked.

"Furiosa, she took a lot of stuff from immortan Joe!" The stranger replied.

"What stuff?" Jaune was confused.

"Breeders, his prize breeders! He wants them back not a hand laid on 'em!" The stranger said as he ran over to a pile of steering wheels at the end of the cavern. The one named Slit mumbled something as if he were praying before grabbing a wheel and turning back to Jaune. He stood up and shuffled over to Slit and grabbed the steering wheel.

"That's my wheel!" Jaune said in a hoarse voice.

"I'm driving!" Slit growled and tugged on the wheel.

"It's my lancer-!" Jaune pulled back.

"I just promoted myself!" Slit yanked on the wheel again.

"Not today, today is my day!" Jaune said feverishly.

"Look at yourself! If you can't stand up, you can't do war!" Slit tried to reason with Jaune.

"He's right son." A fat man said as he stood behind them.

"I'm not staying here all day inside!" Jaune shook his head.

"Ah you're already a corpse." The fat man ran a finger down Jaune's back.

"I just need a top off!" Jaune tried to bargain.

"There's no time!" Slit shushed him.

"We take my blood, bag and strap him to the lancer's perch!" Jaune's mouth which he no control over voiced a brilliant idea.

"It's got a muzzle on it, it's a raging feral!" Slit argued.

"That's right, high octane crazy blood filling me up!" Jaune said before he headbutted Slit. "If I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die historic on the fury road!"

Slit stood up and got in Jaune's face. He then grinned and looked to the fat man behind them. "Yeah, Yeah. Organic, hitch up his blood bag."

"Right'o." The fat man said as he got his tools ready and gazed at the man in the cage above them. From their Jaune began to see many strange things as his body moved on its own accord like he was along for the ride. Eventually he made his way with slit and the man dubbed 'blood-bag' to a vehicle where he was to be chained up. Then he was lowered down with other various vehicles of destruction one by one. The more Jaune saw, the more badly he wanted to wake up from this hellish place. As the war party rolled out in their furious pursuit, Jaune found himself clamoring for attention from a rotund armor-clad man in the black monster Cadillac, the vile immortan Joe himself. Joe seemed to gaze right into Jaune's soul from the seat of the massive vehicle. On that note, he began arguing with Slit over what Joe really did.

"He looked at me! He looked right at me!" Jaune's mouth uttered the words zealously with sheer pride and excitement.

"He was scanning the horizon!" Slit barked at him.

"NO, I am awaited, glory to Valhalla!" Jaune seemed to shout against his will as the maddening thoughts of whoever he seemed to be invade his mind and the apocalyptic rat rod car barreled to its destination ahead of the other pursuing vehicles. 'Who am I?' Jaune thought in confusion. He briefly looked down to see a name on one of the pedals, 'Nux'. That question was answered at least.

After a few minutes a massive and menacing truck appeared in the distance. It was covered in armor plates, spikes and weapons along with various other people climbing all over to defend it. They helped fight off several other vicious vehicles that were more like steel porcupines than cars. One of the people was hit with a steel arrow and grabbed a canister of chrome air paint spraying across his face as his eyes turned blood red. Mustering the last of his strength, the dying man jumped from the rig with two strange explosive javelins in his hands and destroyed one of the porcupine vehicles. Jaune's vehicle then swapped to another target and helped take down a truck with a crane on it with explosives that fell off the car.

With the enemy vehicles gone Jaune/Nux drove to the side of the truck where an old man was trying to stop the woman driving the rig. Jaune tried in vain to warn him but the old man 'Groot' was killed by the woman. With that done the woman blew a hole in the tire of Jaune's car. He ordered slit to get the blood-bag to the back. Now that the feral man was free Slit threatened to kill him. the two scuffled only for slit to be thrown and Jaune/Nux closed the roof hatch as they entered the storm. What Jaune saw next was something both awesome and terrifyingly hellish, the inside of an ocean sized sandstorm. There were swirling tornadoes of death everywhere he could see with another vehicle closing in on the war-rig only to be swept up into a vortex. Jaune was dumbfounded at the sight of the vehicle and its crew being eviscerated by the vortex.

"Oh, what a lovely day! What a lovely day!" Jaune/Nux said as he found himself flooding the vehicle with a strange liquid by the gallon. "I am the man who grabs the sun, riding to Valhalla!" He pulled out a flare and lit it as he caught up to the war rig. "Witness me blood-bag, witness!" He said as he sprayed paint on his mouth and looked at the man behind him, who started beating on the glass. Within a few seconds the glass gave way and the man grabbed at the flare, distracting Jaune/Nux long enough for the rig to swerve and cause the vehicle to crash violently. Jaune was catapulted out of the dream and he was practically bathing in sweat. He was turning his had from side to side, frantically scanning his surroundings to find everything the way it was. His dirty clothes were spilling out of their hamper and there was a puddle of drool next to where his head was.

"That was the most awesome, and the craziest dream I've ever had, ever. It was so real, but it just had to be just a bad dream, right?" Jaune said to no one in particular as he cluelessly scratched the back of his head. He had no idea that there was someone else in the room with him, more specifically his head. Two brave souls, only but a single body to share.

From a hill nearby Griffa the mystic was watching with a grin on his face. "Welcome back to the world of the living war-boy. You shall see the mirror image of your beloved 'Capable' again, for you have earned it, a second chance at life. For so you had **lived** , you **died** , now for your reward that you have rightfully earned you shall **live again**. Fate was so cruel to you before, yet you persevered in your endeavor to survive the many nightmarish trials it had in store. Trials by which you perished in victorious redemption for yourself as a freed man and not a violently subservient slave. You were always a tough nut to crack, and you shall be again, for this simple boy shall surely need your cunning black-finger skill and valiant strength of will. So, I shall say it once again, welcome back once more to the land of the living, Nux." Griffa said as he vanished in a plume dust that was carried on the free and ever-changing winds. Perhaps someone else would receive a dream of their past lives, someone whom Jaune would come to know, that Nux already knew. But not as she is, for Nux, it will be who she was. For though she had lived to tell the tale to those who could listen along with the others, eventually all souls pass from one world to the next.

-END CHAPTER-


	25. Past and present concerns

Mad Max: Road to Salvation

Episode 25: Past and present concerns

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[Hitler's Moustache: Yep, Nux is back.]

[Guest 1: Yeah it is cool, and it will hurt.]

[Ronmr: Yep and thanks dude!]

[Guest 2: not as much as you would think, and yes you are correct!]

[UndeadLord22: Yeah it's a big twist alright. Only time will tell what it is, and whether the road warrior will teach Jaune/Nux. Besides, all warboys are trained from childhood to fight.]

[Guest 3: I'm considering what you said, and If it doesn't work then I won't.]

[Review Dude: Aww shucks, I'm just doing the best I can and that's the result.]

[Charles: thanks man!]

[Guest 4: as much as like that, I have a different idea in mind.]

[SilentType1997: Yeah, but I couldn't come up with any other ideas on how to set it up, otherwise I would have.]

[Guest 5: We're close, but there are still certain significant events that have to occur first. Please be patient.]

* * *

-With Pyrrha Nikos-

"Witness me…" A mysterious voice whispered to Pyrrha while she slept in her bed. She could see a strange young man mouthing the words as he faded from view and she shot up in her bed. This had been another strange dream in a row of confusing recent experiences for her. She tried to tell herself it wasn't real, that it was just her mind playing tricks on her. But these dreams felt so real, they seemed almost like memories. How could they be, and if so whose were they? These memories couldn't be hers, she'd never seen these people, places, or strange things outside of her mind. Then there was that boy she saw in these dreams; his face was blurred like she wanted to remember, but she could only picture his blue eyes and ghost like skin. It was as if the harder she tried to remember, the more he seemed to fade into a blur. Some of the only words she could remember him saying the most clearly were, 'witness me.' What did they mean, what was he asking of her?

The long search for answers to these questions was daunting to be sure. She had kept this to herself in recent days because she inexplicably felt like this was a truly personal matter for herself to face alone. She pulled herself from her midnight madness, and went to the bathroom to wash the sweat from her face. As she did so, faint voices rattled in the back of her mind. Three times the gates were opened to me… I should be walking in Valhalla, feasting with the heroes of our time.' it was the boy's voice that came first. 'I'd say it was your manifest destiny not to.' Another even more familiar voice answered, so familiar it felt as if it were her own. She stopped walking, and shook her head to try forcing them to be silent, she was unsuccessful in her attempt. The voices persisted as she reached the door and wiped her face. But then when she looked in the mirror, instead of seeing her own reflection of the place she knew, she saw herself in another world. It was as if time froze for her as she gazed into the eyes of her reflection. The two versions of one person differed ever so much in their attire. One wore goggles and scraps of white cloth resembling a gown. While Pyrrha was strangely adorned in her own armor, yet she did not remember putting it on.

"Who are you?" They both said in unison.

"Is it not so obvious, young one?" A mysterious voice echoed.

"Who's there?" The girls asked with a hint of caution.

As if in response a hooded man in rags and jeans appeared beside them. "You wish to see that which you cannot remember. Griffa can help, I can take you to the places deep down within, places where you daren't go yourself. Do you truly wish to know who you are?" He spoke with a calming yet ominous tone.

"I know who I am, my name is Pyrrha Nikos." The redheaded beauty answered confidently.

"Yes and no. The answer is far more than what you choose to believe. What you see in front of you was your true self." Griffa shook his head and gestured to the reflection.

"That's not me, I-it just can't be." Pyrrha refused to believe what she saw.

"She is you, she is all that you were before, not as you are now of course." Griffa said in his usual tone, pointing to days passed.

"But I don't remember that!" Pyrrha shouted in panic and confusion at the influx of information that contradicted everything she knew about herself.

"Calm yourself young one, she wishes to be with the man she loves again, and you know this to be true. Deep within, you hear the voices, their attempts to claw their way to the surface that is you. You cannot deny it." Griffa soothed her and pointed to her chest.

"Then who was she?" Pyrrha conceded.

"Her name is simple, yet it is oh so elegant, Capable was her title. But within that world, the beauty she was gifted by nature was both a tremendous blessing and a mortal curse." Griffa explained stoically.

"What do you mean?" The invincible girl tilted her head in confusion.

"Her beauty is what kept her alive and healthy, but 'twas also what made her a prized possession of a man who ruled with a demonic fist, the immortan joe." Griffa continued his explanations which shocked the young girl. She witnessed the truly nightmarish evil that was the immortan and his sons.

"Then who was the one she loved?" Pyrrha asked after gathering her thoughts.

"That's a question she'll answer on her own if she is allowed to. For you are standing in your own way, all you need do is allow her to speak. Hear her voice, let it sing through you, and perhaps she will tell you the secret of the identity of the one she holds dear. You feel it in your heart, a yearning for something, for someone." Griffa told her the truth of the matter and urged her to allow her past self to speak. Pyrrha did so and patiently waited while silence rang though her mind.

"Nux, his name is Nux." The reflection said after a short moment of peace.

"See, now that was not so difficult." Griffa said cheekily. "Soon enough she will speak more and reveal to you the tales of the past you have yet to remember."

"But what if she doesn't?" Pyrrha asked the shaman.

"She will, for her very soul has made its way here to inhabit you, all in seeking the mirror image of the one she cares for. He is alive once again as well, and in time you two shall meet, for it is destiny. That being said, you are still the maker of it if you so choose your path, but to do so would be to deny something you wish for most of all. This is a fact you know you simply cannot deny." He said calmly to her.

"*sigh*Then I accept it." Pyrrha sighed to herself.

"Do you truly believe that?" Griffa asked quizzically.

"I do." Pyrrha said confidently.

"Then my work here is done." Griffa smiled and turned to leave.

"Wait, will I see you again?" Pyrrha asked him, and he stopped to give her an answer.

"Perhaps, if the universe or myself deem it to be. Fare the well." Griffa replied and then disappeared. Pyrrha then woke up to mysteriously find herself in her bed again. She surveyed her room and it seemed like nothing had changed at all. It didn't make sense, a dream within a dream? The more she thought about it, the more her head seemed to hurt in excruciating confusion. Her mind remained confused and muddled, causing her to decide to return to sleep once more, and ponder what had transpired in the morning. It had all felt so real, yet she had begun to feel as if her own sanity was slipping away from her.

-TWO WEEKS LATER-BEACON-

It had been very eventful in the first two weeks of the new school year for everyone at the academy, but even more so for Max. Today especially, for today he'd be finally instructing students on combat, rather than survival. Everyone was seemingly happy not to be dealing Max's extreme methods. Even Ozpin beforehand, for the very first class, had told Max not to do certain things such as force feeding the students dog food or maggots. It was a school after all, not the Vale Defense Force, which would have allowed it. That had stifled Max's lessons slightly in the very beginning, but it did not stop him from finding other alternatives

"Today you'll learn unarmed combat, and anyone who already knows how to use their fists will have me to contend with." Max bellowed to his class who erupted into a chorus of 'pick him/her.' The constant noise of the students bickering finally got to Max and he drew his trusty double barrel shotgun. He pointed it at the roof, and fired the weapon, the sound deafening the occupants of the room, bringing a welcome silence. "You've forgotten my rules, again. After the fight is over, you'll all have a one-mile run." This was followed with another chorus of awes and cursing. "Someone will either volunteer now or you will all run now until I get tired, or the class ends." The first student to actually volunteer stuck her hand up patiently. Max noticed this and pointed to her out of the sea of students. "Grab your gear, and leave your weapon." Max ordered and she did as she was told. After a few minutes She returned and Max began his instruction on the basics. He pointed to her stance and showed her the correct posture.

"Now attack me." Max ordered, and the student tried to blitz him. Max saw the telegraphed assault and quickly parried it, bringing her in close and following up with a choke hold. The girl nearly turned blue before tapping out. Max let her go and she breathed heavily after reaching the floor. "That was sloppy, all of you learn from her mistake. What did she do wrong?"

"She came straight at you!" A random student shouted.

"Yes, she was too eager, and that leads to an opportunity for a parry if your timing is correct for a novice. The best-timed parry can lead to a successful retaliation which can be devastating, if you know what you are doing besides simply jabbing and blocking." Max agreed and relayed the faults of his student.

"Hey how many people have you fought at once?" Another random student asked.

"Between one dozen to twenty, at worst. The best fighters maintain their level head to avoid being swarmed. If they all charge you at once disabling one can be an asset as it can buy you time, since the others risk injuring their comrade attacking you. Now for more evasive opponents-" Max began his lecture but was cut off by the intrusion of Mari.

"Hey Killer." Mari said in a cheery voice.

"I'm busy Mari, go away." Max didn't even turn to look at her.

"I can see that, but Oz needs 'you' to see 'him', now." Mari told the road warrior.

"Fine, take over for me." Max growled as he walked to the door.

"Can do, you're lucky I don't start 'til next period." Mari sighed.

"Teach 'em then run 'em, one mile." Max ordered as he disappeared.

"Count on it." Mari replied as she turned to face the students, who all wiped their brows now that Max was gone. Max walked the halls to Ozpin's office and got on the elevator, grumbling all the while. Max seemed to have changed slightly, he seemed more like a grumpy old man in recent days, rather than a hardened fighter. In truth this was due to the influence of both his daughter and Glynda. That bossy witch seemed to know the old black magic to soften his heart. In the time he had to think, he recalled the first time they had really taken the opportunity to speak with each other. Things were tense, but they reached common ground with ample time. Max had to admit it, there was just something about her. He also recalled the woman he'd met in the desert, Winter. The slap she gave him back then seemed unforgettable for whatever reason. The elevator reached its stop and Max stepped out to see Ozpin sitting at his desk sipping from his mug as usual.

"Good morning mister Rockatansky, I'm sure you have questions as to why I interrupted your class, which I apologize for." The wise headmaster greeted the grizzled wasteland veteran.

"This had better be good, Ozpin." Max growled impatiently.

"I know you may be familiar with an associate of mine, general Ironwood, through his subordinate specialist Winter Schnee." Ozpin dug up some sordid history.

"We fought, I won." Max replied bluntly.

"Yes, you did, and the general has requested for you to visit Atlas academy as a temporary consultant for at least one month. He even sent along a small token of good faith to convince you." Ozpin spoke calmly and gestured to a small crate next the desk. Max brought out his handy crowbar and opened the container to reveal a work of high caliber atlas weapons tech.

"An assault rifle, high quality…" Max said as he removed the sleek yet weathered appearing rifle from its container and examined it. The barrel had multiple spiky studs across the handguard, and was painted a metallic grey with a bloody splash of red on the hand guard, and a bayonet. The weapon was seemingly rugged and violent, yet durable, still retaining the flair of Atlas technological perfection.

"I have decided to put the decision in your hands if you wish to go. If I know James, there's no doubt he wants to keep you there since he has heard of your… extremely militaristic methods." Ozpin spoke after taking a sip from his mug. Max put down the well-crafted rifle and sighed.

"He wants soldiers." Max deduced the most likely reasoning behind the request.

"Yes, and apparently he sees you as a means to forge them from moldable Atlas students. I have spoken with him heavily on the matter, and it was difficult to come to an agreement, which is why I leave this choice up to you. He seems to hold you in high regard since the rumors have spread that you act far more 'decisive' than even his best instructors. I can promise that if you do, your classes will be taken care of until your return, as you have proven to be one of this academy's finest combat professors."

"Is that all he knows about me?" Max growled to the wise headmaster with his serious expression.

"If you are referring to your past, then yes. No one who was not in that room has been granted the privilege to know. It's your past, only you can choose who knows what you have suffered." Ozpin reassured the road warrior that no one else would know unless he allowed it.

"Good, I'll take up his offer to visit Atlas. There's one thing I should mention." Max accepted without further hesitation.

"Oh?" Ozpin raised an eyebrow.

"Have you taken care of that bounty on my head?" Max hadn't forgotten Ozpin's end of their arrangement.

"I've tried, but Jacque Schnee, himself arrogantly refuses to listen to the facts, and even my political influence only goes so far. Once you leave the kingdom of Vale and enter Atlas borders, it will up to the general to keep the SDC, and its bounty hunters, out of your way." Ozpin sighed and told Max the truth.

"Fine, I can deal with them as they come." Max grunted stoically.

"I'll call the general and make the arrangements then." Ozpin said as Max returned to his class.

-END CHAPTER-


	26. Snow blind PT1

Mad Max: Road to Salvation

Episode 26: Snow blind PT. 1

A/N: later on there might be some lemony goodness coming up, but that is an extremely big maybe ok. I make absolutely no promise, since I listen to everyone's opinion and I don't want anymore flak for it.

* * *

[awsomrebel: he might just do that, the rich jerk has it coming.]

[Gamerman22: For a pompous jerk like schnee rep is everything, so yeah he's mad.]

[dirtrevor: maybe, and they're about to.]

[Charles: Things are tense between but all it takes is time n booze. That face punch is very likely.]

[Stylus Opium: that's coming up, but I've heard people voice their opinion against another illegit mini max.]

[Hitler's moustache: Yep you did.]

[Review Dude: Maybe he will, maybe he won't, and yes it would not be wise to anger a one man army.]

[Ronmr: Thanks and yeah I have a feeling later on he'll need fresh pants.]

[Enriks D8: Thanks man and yeah it is. Actually I got the rifle from destiny, the red death pulse rifle.]

[Dungeon wyrm: Thanks man, and a face punch may be coming up.]

[Guest 1: thank you.]

[Guest 2: I know but oh I'll just say it, after this story ends or maybe sooner, I have a plan for the children of max of 'cubic' proportions and max having one more illegit kid plays a role in that. But only if it is the general consensus, then maybe Max may end up wearing protection this time. **They are not paired** though, a one night stand can be just a brief fling and nothing more besides fun/stress relief/lemon.]

* * *

-On board an atlesian airship-

Time had passed quickly when Ozpin called Ironwood to inform him of Max's acceptance to participate. The general was very pleased to hear his request had been answered. A few days later, Max had said his goodbyes and reluctantly left Anya in the care of Mari and Amy. He was now onboard an airship in transit to Atlas to meet with the general. Max's first impressions were not well…impressive. From his point of view the man was not exactly an expert tactician, even Max knew you can't rely solely on brute force alone. By sending a battleship to retrieve one man, he'd made it very clear on what to expect. Perhaps he was trying to do as Ozpin had expected and try to lure him into the fold with bait. Max remembered his days as a cop, and how he ended up acquiring his interceptor. Apparently, the general was going to try the same thing as his former superiors had done once upon a time. It wasn't exactly working, though he did appreciate the rifle. It was quite a marvelous weapon and would no doubt come in handy in firefights later on. He was currently in the process of striping and maintaining the rifle as a manual on how to do so had been left in the crate it was delivered in. It was surprisingly simple to fix despite its high-tech appearance and where it had been built. But he then was shaken from his somewhat therapeutic maintenance session by the arrival of his official escort, Winter Schnee.

"State your business then leave Schnee." Max said with slight hostility.

"I came to tell you that we'll be entering Atlas territory shortly." Winter retorted.

"Hmph, if that's all then leave." Max grunted rudely.

"I don't appreciate your attitude mister Rockatansky." Winter narrowed her eyes.

"Then drop yours." Max growled not looking up from his workbench.

"You first." Winter replied coldly.

"I simply want to be left in peace." Max assumed a calm demeanor.

"And I want you to acknowledge that while you are on board this ship, I am in charge." Winter put her foot down.

"I never questioned your authority, I simply don't recognize it." Max wasn't in the mood.

"Are you trying to bait me into a fight like that drunkard we happen to know?" Winter grew annoyed by Max's actions to the point of touching a finger to her sword.

"No." Max replied in an attempt to defuse the situation.

"Then why is there a bottle of whiskey next to you?" Winter stated her observation of the partially emptied bottle next to the disassembled weapon.

"*sigh* to relax." Max replied.

"Is that so? Here I thought you were different." Winter groaned.

"Your opinions are your own, but Qrow is far different from me as you've already seen."

"All I see right now is-"

"I'm just a man trying live with the fact that I have gone through significant difficulties in my time. You have no right to judge me for how I spend the remainder of that time. In short, a healthy mind doesn't wake up in the morning thinking this is its last day on earth." Max cut off winter and gave her his changed philosophy despite the fact that he knew he was the last person who should mentioning a healthy mind.

"What are you babbling about?" Winter said deciding to let go of her hostility to hear eh man out.

"That's the mindset I've had recently. One I've adopted to this day since I found my daughter. Before, I just survived, but now I live for her. This is my way of living, if it keeps me sane enough to care for her then it's my responsibility as a father to do everything I can to do so." Max replied truthfully, explaining his drive and reason for his actions.

"Your daughter?" Winter said with a confused look.

"The girl who shot at you in the desert, from inside my car." Max answered matter-of-factly to the elder Schnee sibling.

"I remember now, how is she then?" Winter decided to roll with the new topic of discussion so as to avoid a clash aboard the ship.

"As any normal child should be, I've made sure of that." Max said with a hint of pride as he turned to face her with a stoic look on his face.

"Just what do you mean by that you dolt?" Winter demanded a greater degree of clarity on the response he'd given her.

"She's happy, and that makes me-" Max replied with annoyance before being interrupted by his liaison.

"Less hostile?" Winter raised an eyebrow as she replied.

"In a manner of speaking. She is what brought me back from the brink, if not for her then I'd simply be very close to insane. I owe her my life, so in return I protect and raise her as my own." Max tried to further explain his reasoning on the subject the best he could.

"Is that it, you see it as some form of transaction?" Winter crossed her arms as she jumped to conclusions.

"It's how I've had to live, making deals and short-lived alliances. But I remember, what it was like. I won't waste this like I did before, there were ones I failed to protect just like her. Perhaps raising her is my atonement for my sins. I suffered greatly, and she is a reward for all that suffering, the chance to be a father again." Max replied stoically, but the last thing he said caught winter's attention.

'Again?' Winter thought with confusion at Max's words, since she did not know his tragic past.

"I will die to protect her, and see to it that she never becomes like me. Strong enough to survive yes, but never like me, no one deserves to end up like me." Max said solemnly remembering his horrifying nightmare of a life that was finally fading behind him.

"You want her to be happy, to grow up being the person she chooses to be, I can respect that. You could say I have a similar goal with my sister in mind." Winter was reminded of her own Quest to assist her sister and she'd tried to raise her own sister while she was still at the manor in the past.

"Exactly, and I will stop at nothing to make that so, it's my duty." Max said firmly as put a hand to his face.

"Perhaps I have misjudged you, Max." Winter admitted her fault with a small smile of respect and nodded politely.

"Only time can truly decide that, Winter." Max said as he returned to his work. On that note, winter left the room and the ship crossed into Atlas approximately 2 hours later.

-Atlas military command base-

The ship had now reached the base and Max was being sent down with Winter via a dropship. They were going to see the general himself. Max was silent on the ride down, preferring to maintain his usual stoic visage. Winter had come to know him better now ever so slightly and decided not to disturb him in his thoughts. When the ship touched down, Ironwood himself was waiting to greet them.

"Mister Rockatansky, a pleasure to finally meet you in person, welcome to Atlas." The general extended a hand to the road warrior, who simply refused. Max had an already less than favorable first impression of the general.

"You wanted me here general, and I came, so let's get down to business." Max said shrewdly in his stoic voice.

"Hmph very well, follow me to my office." Ironwood motioned for Max and Winter to follow him. "As you can see we here at Atlas have the most advanced systems and weaponry at our disposal. The AK-Series of combat drones for example." The general said as he directed Max's attention to the many man shaped robotic combat units.

"The only machine I trust is one I control, it needs me and need it, without a driver the car is useless. The over reliance on machines you do not directly control is a blatant weakness, not a strength." Max growled to the general.

"I would suggest you watch your comments. This is in order to waste less lives on the battlefield." Ironwood retorted.

"These are a crutch general, this is an army that anyone can command if the right method is used." Max countered with the logical truth.

"If you are suggesting they can be hacked, that is not easily achieved." Ironwood refused to hear it. They reached the office and Max sat down at a chair beside Winter, while Ironwood sat at his desk.

"Murphy's law." Max stated flatly.

"What?" Ironwood raised an eyebrow at the expression.

"I teach this to my students, anything that can go wrong will, and when it does, the first thing to occur is the worst." Max explained the basic meaning of the term and its slightly more descriptive extent.

"That's simply not possible, no one has hacked these droids and no one will." Ironwood ignored Max's words of wisdom and experience in judgment.

"Nothing is impossible, I do not like repeating myself General, these things are not worth the risk. They are a massive liability waiting to happen. Do not say I did not try to warn you when someone steals your army for themselves. I know nothing of computers, but I do know that an army that has no loyalty, is an army that cannot be trusted." Max explained his tactical opinion following up with a burn. "To ignore this fact makes you an arrogant fool."

"Do not continue insulting me mister Rockatansky!" The general growled as Max had gotten under his skin. "You are a guest here and you would do well to remember that."

"Is that a threat?" Max moved a hand toward one of his shotguns in anticipation of coming escalation between them.

"A very clear warning." The general replied clearly annoyed by his ungrateful guest.

"I'm not afraid of the consequences general, if I have to I will not hesitate to-" Max responded with hostility.

"If want to leave then go ahead, but how will you return to vale without my help? Unless you intend to swim that is." The general tried to silence him tactfully.

"Borrow one of your airships, and level this entire base in the process, as a start." The opposite effect occurred with Max growling angrily.

"You are just one man, with a very high opinion of himself. Don't threaten me." The general said bluntly.

"I suggest you look at the mirror. You have no idea what I am capable of." Max's hand inched towards the gun.

"This discussion is over, Mister Rockatansky. Specialist, show our guest to his quarters, dismissed." The general decided to let Max have this one argument.

"Yes sir." Winter stood up and saluted her commander.

'Insufferable prick.' Max thought to himself as they left the room and winter directed him to the place where he would be staying until they went to the academy.

-2 weeks later-

Max had been teaching his course to the various students of the prestigious huntsman/military academy. His training was proving to be far more brutal now that he had been given permission by the general, despite their constant arguments over combat strategy. He and Winter had been speaking quite often as she was to be his liaison for the duration of his stay. The both of them began to see each other in a new light with their differences of opinion finally coming to a halt. But later though, Max would have the occasional feeling of someone watching him constantly. These occurrences were not mere coincidence, he knew that. He even bore witness to the multiple posters scattered around that sported his face and a very lucrative price from the SDC. Eyes were on him wherever he went as he was still something of a celebrity. Especially to the occasional faunus he came across, as he had raised a tournament champion and was rumored to have adopted another. whatever their reasons were for watching him, he simply ignored them. Until he would be unlucky enough to leaving the school to explore.

The sever cold of the region was new to him and came as an unwelcome annoyance. He'd had to winterize his normal leather gear with a special coat considering even with his fortitude that nature was not to be trifled with. He had believed he was able to take on any assailants or other annoyances but then again, he was in the country that held the global headquarters of the SDC. Soon enough the bounty hunters came when he was in an alley. Among them were even some experienced huntsmen and huntresses. He didn't like these odds at all, around him were powerful opponents in their own right. One on one perhaps he could win. But like this, it was abysmal at best. Max was not man who would simply surrender.

"Before we fight, who sent you?" Max asked the group surrounding him.

"Who do you think genius?" One bounty hunter stepped forward. "There's been expressed orders from Jacque Schnee himself to bring you in. "

"Of course, you do." Max groaned.

"Just shut up you dick, you're wasting our time here." A random guy said to him.

"You know I could kill you all, right?" The merc replied angrily.

Max took this opportunity to draw his guns while the enemy was distracted by the mercenary. Whoever the guy was, he had created a golden opportunity as Max blasted his way out of the alley. The disgruntled enemies gave chase as Max ran through the streets and alleyways to stay ahead of the pack. As they pursued him the more agile ones leapt to the rooftops to keep up. Max was tossing down trashcans and other obstacles to slow them down but his pursuers were determined to get paid. Max wished he had brought along his car this time, because he would really need it right now with all of these people trying to run him down. The road warrior's luck was once again on his side as he spotted an open manhole. He jumped into the sewer and ran to the next block through the underground. It wasn't pleasant but neither was the idea of being brought before an angry businessman on his terms. He'd remember this and make sure to confront the man in due time with a knuckle sandwich.

-Several minutes earlier-

From the rooftops, a man stood lazily vigilant, he wore a strange black armor with orange stripes. He cradled a throwing knife in his hands as he eyed the road warrior walking the streets below. He smiled to himself behind his visor at the golden opportunity that was coming his way. It had been some time since he'd come here but it was better than dead, killed by a group of idiots and his former partner. The very thought of them, and their stupid blue moron, made his blood boil with rage. He decided to forget about until he was done with his latest hit/kidnap, then he could be pissed all he wanted. Of course, his latest contract was more of a long-term one, with an individual who'd have no problem ending him. It wasn't something he liked to dwell on, but that's how it goes. After all, how can anyone refuse the offer of a dark elder goddess who could kill someone like him pretty damn easy? Plus, the money was good, but the benefits, not so much. He saw the whole little event go down as the road warrior ran from his foes and ducked into a nearby sewer. The other mercs lost their prey, but this one didn't. He left his perch and anticipated the moves of his target, plunging into a manhole further to intercept his target. Just like that not a moment too soon, he was face to face with a living legend.

"I know it's cliché, but just come quietly and I won't have to kill you, otherwise you're a dead man. Really liking the leather by the way, it's just goes with the whole brooding guy thing you got going. Gives you a whole 'I'm BATMAN thing'." The stranger said lazily as he cradled one of his favorite knives.

"Get out of my way, or I end you." Max growled as he took up a fighting stance.

"You and what army? Because I seriously doubt you can beat me, since you look like all bark and no bite without your wheels." The merc deadpanned as he readied his pistol.

"I will make that Schnee pay for this." Max growled in anger.

"Eh, wrong! Who said that pompous prick sent me? He wishes I was his top button man, no I work for someone way worse, who's paying me a lot more. I mean come on why I would I be here in Atlas of all places? I don't come cheap and my boss wants you dead or alive etcetera, etcetera. Anyway, enough chit-chat, and I'm getting bored." The orange striped merc said as the two fighters readied for their fight.

-END CHAPTER-


	27. Snow blind PT2

Mad Max: Road to Salvation

Episode 27: Snow blind PT.2

A/N: I would like to ease any possible frustrations, I will save the lemon for a later time. For the fans who were actually ok with the idea of max having 5 blood children I'm afraid that it wasn't meant to be. So I will forego the lemon with winter and save it for Max and Glynda's honeymoon. Also, the review section seems to be on the fritz so I cannot respond like usual until they fix it. If you said something but it didn't show up then PM what you said so I may respond. Please and thanks. -Ddog

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[Gamerman22: It'll hurt alright and You could say that.]

[awsomrebel55: Yep, and thanks, it's good to know.]

[Dungeon Wyrm: I think you'll really like this part, I hope.]

[Review dude: Thanks for the idea and I tried my best to follow it.]

[EnriksD8: Pretty much spot on there, and he 'might'. I mentioned a while back that most of his kids are going to experience a little odyssey of their own, and at a very young age.]

[Ronmr: thanks]

[Guest 1: I get that.)

[Clearwingyuta: thanks]

[Charles: Heh, yep.]

[Guest 2: yeah too much tech is bad.]

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Max and the mercenary were quick to draw their respective sidearms, with the mercenary leaping to the side and avoiding most of the buckshot. Max hated dealing with nimble opponents like this who managed to avoid his blasts. Max ran straight at the loud mouth mercenary to attempt a shoulder bash. The mercenary sidestepped Max's charge and was quick to fire his pistol at the lightly armored road warrior. Max rolled out of the way of Felix's shot and fired another blast just as the mercenary brought up a hard-light shield to block the blast as Max charged in again to levy a punch knock him down to floor. With a growl of anger the mercenary jumped back to his feet and brought out a burst fire assault rifle to fire on max.

Max pulled out his own rifle and the two of them got into an old-fashioned gunfight. Max dropped to one knee and let out a storm of high impact rounds in the mercenary's direction. The orange stripped assassin took a bullet and grunted in pain before retaliating with a frag grenade. Max saw the incoming explosive and batted it away the stock of his rifle. The resulting explosion knocked down Max for a brief moment before he stood back up to barely avoid before struck in the face by a throwing knife that had come at him from the mercenary's hand. Max used the rubble for cover as he blind fired his rifle over the various rocks.

The mercenary pulled out an odd little weapon and grinned before firing it at the pile of demolished sewer wall. The portion that struck the rocks blinked a few times below exploding and knocking max back against a wall. The mercenary saw his target stunned and closed in for the kill with a sadistic grin on his face under the visor he wore. Max was bruised and bloody but he had not come this far to die now, he rose again to one knee clutching a blade behind his back. The mercenary stood in front of him, not paying attention to the hidden blade as he moved his pistol towards max's head. The road warrior slapped the weapon aside and stabbed through mercenary's wrist causing him to curse and scream in pain.

Max used his new opportunity to grab his opponent by the neck and viciously slammed his face against the concrete. The mercenary gritted his teeth and stopped max short of the next face slam, flipping out another knife and stabbing max in the leg. The road warrior grunted in pain, pulling the knife out of his leg, and giving the mercenary a chance to get back on his feet. Both of them stood up and started slugging each other blow for blow. Max parried a punch the mercenary threw and dislocated the man's shoulder. The bloodthirsty mercenary was still standing and let Max charge into him, relocating his shoulder and getting the road warrior into a suplex.

Max rolled over and stood back up, ready to go another round. The mercenary did the same and the two fighters looked straight at each other, neither side eager to make a move. The mercenary threw a knife max caught it with the mercenary running at him once more to land a killing blow. Max sidestepped the charge and brought his fist low, punching just as the mercenary got close. Felix felt like his insides were being pulverized as he coughed up blood inside his helmet. He slammed his elbow against Max's spine and the two of them collapsed to the ground in pain. Max got on one knee wiped the blood from his face as his opponent started to limp away sickly. The road warrior could barely move from his current position and watched as his opponent used a smoke grenade to conceal his escape.

"This isn't over you fuck, as Arnold once said, I'll be back!" The mercenary shouted angrily as he disappeared under the cover of the smoke. Max didn't reply as he drank some water from his canteen and slowly made his way back in the direction of the academy. He eventually reached the doorstep of the academy with a long intermittent trail of blood behind him. Finally, out of exhaustion and blood loss the road warrior passed out to the sight of Winter running towards him. several hours passed as the doctors and medics went to work on Max, doing their best to keep him alive. After getting him through the night Max woke up the next morning to see Winter standing in front of him.

The grizzled wasteland veteran looked himself over to see bandages of all kinds covering him and his gear laying next to him waiting for him to pick it up. He looked winter in the eye and the two of them didn't say much to each other. Max started to move and winter went to stop him but he forced her to stop as he slowly got out of the bed. He'd suffered far worse wounds and refused to let these injuries stop him from doing what he came here to do. Plus, he still he still had a message to give Winter's father, personally. He knew better than to mention it to her though, since she'd offer to take care of it and this was something he wanted to do himself.

But then Winter spoke. "What were you think going off like that alone?" She glared at Max, waiting for an explanation.

"A chance to know my environment and what to expect from your father." Max replied stoically.

"Well you've certainly learned something, then, haven't you? Now who could actually this to you of all people?" Winter inquired as she crossed her legs while sat on a chair.

"A mercenary, he was wearing some kind of advanced armor with orange stripes, didn't tell me his name though. He was sent to kill or capture me, and that he worked for someone worse than your father." Max gave her the rundown on the mystery mercenary who'd attempt to kill Max, only to end up with a draw. "He also had some kind of energy shield that blocked my gunfire and he had no aura."

"That's… interesting. Our intelligence unit had known something was going on, but now this just confirms it." Winter admitted what she knew about the incident.

"It would have been better to know that some time ago." Max narrowed his eyes.

"Either way its moot at this point. You said he was orange?" Winter sighed and asked about the mercenary's appearance.

"Striped, black armor, orange stripes and black visor on his helmet." Max described the color scheme of the mercenary's armor to the best of his ability.

"For what it's worth, we're both responsible for what happened. You for wandering off alone, and my fault for not being more vigilant." Winter pointed out Max's fault and admitted responsibility for her own mistakes involving the attempted hit.

"It would seem that way." Max grunted in acknowledgement as he leaned over the side of the bed and set his feet tot eh floor.

"Don't get out of that bed Max." Winter warned the road warrior.

"I've had worse injuries in my time, this pain is nothing." Max waved her off and stood up with a slight limp.

"Be that as it may, I've been ordered by the general to keep a closer eye on you to avoid this happening again." Winter sassed the grown and irritable man.

"If you want to follow me fine, but I have an errand to run." Max went over to his gear to begin getting dressed.

"If you're referring to my father then-" Winter started to say but Max cut her off.

"Don't get in my way winter." Max would not allow her to stand in his way, only to be pleasantly surprised.

"On the contrary, he's gone too far this time. I have been wanting to pay my dear sister a visit after all." Winter said with a slight smile, intriguing the road warrior.

"Then we have a bargain?" Max asked her with an ambitious look in his eye.

"If you mean we have an accord, then yes we do." Winter agreed and shook Max's hand.

"Perfect." Max said as he left the bed and proceeded to dress himself, while Winter left the room. That didn't stop her from admiring his well-toned yet heavily scarred figure as she made her way out the door. After Max was done, he left the room and checked his equipment. After some time, he and winter ventured to the Schnee estate in all of its hollow grandeur. Max cared little for the mansion and simply frowned in anger and fury while he waited to pay a visit to the Schnee patriarch. They arrived at the house with Max proceeding directly inside while Winter found a concealed entrance. The former heiress was careful to avoid any prying eyes as she made her way to the room of her beloved sister. Max was busy brawling his way through the small legion of heavily armed guards with sounds of conflict raging throughout the building. He barreled through them with lightning dust rounds in his shotguns Winter had given him to stun the security personnel rather than outright kill them. The non-lethal tactics he had been practicing lately were quite useful. He reached the door of Jacque's private study and kicked it in to find the horrible businessman sitting at his desk frightened.

"You've been a serious thorn in my side Schnee." Max growled as he walked closer to the man while cracking his knuckles in anger. "If you want to try calling your guards, they're busy right now, and your panic button isn't going to help you. Face it, this has been coming for a long time, and you've royally pissed me off." Winter had found a way to distract the bulk of the mansion security force and disabled her father's panic button, leaving him defenseless, except for the guards Max had defeated. Atlas covert operations did have its moments as a decent professional force.

"Now hold on, I'm sure we can come to an agreement." Jacque said nervously.

"No, I have a much better idea in mind for you." Max said as he grabbed the man and pinned him to the floor. He then produced a camera winter had given him for the moment to be recorded. He setup the device and then scribbled on Jacque's expensive business suit 'Faunus lives matter' and 'don't screw with max'. "Now give me you left arm."

"No, NO!" Jacque protested as Max grabbed and positioned the begging man's arm.

"Now look when you're talking to your doctor, tell him you have a spiral fracture of the left radius." Max informed the man of the pain that was sure to come for his acts of aggression.

"NO, NO, NO, NO! I'll say I love faunus, there I said it! Now please don't do this! NOOOOO!" Jacque was begging and cajoling max in an attempt to stir his sympathy. But nothing was going to stop him from sending his message.

"Deep breath now." Max said calmly as instantly twisted and snapped the arm of the Schnee patriarch into a position that it was not ever meant go.

"*SNAP! * GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIEEEEEE AH HAH AH HAA AAAHHHH!" Jacque screeched the girliest scream of pain in the history of the world of remnant. That was happening while winter and Weiss were having a loving reunion with each other.

"Winter did you hear something?" Weiss looks in the direction their father's study.

"Oh, I'm sure it was nothing of consequence my dear sister." Winter dismissed the notion.

"It must be one of the workers or servants I suppose." Weiss chalked it up to nothing of consequence and the two sisters continued their meaningful talk with one another, the younger sister completely unaware of the humiliating beatdown their father was receiving. After a few minutes Winter takes her leave and gives Weiss a heartfelt goodbye, before going to collect Max.

"You WILL regret this Rockatansky! You had better hope Ironwood erases that bounty, or I will make life VERY hard for you and both of your Faunus brats!" The beaten and bruised businessman barked as he writhed on the floor of his study in agony. Max had broken several of Jacque's bones and torn up the extremely expensive suit he had worn before the beating.

"Keep dreaming, that will never happen unless hell freezes over. And, if you continue to come after me or even attempt to harm my family, I will be back here to repeat this until you learn the lesson scrawled on your brand new tattered rags." Max said coldly as he shut the door, briefly putting the fear of god into the pathetic man on the ground. The two of conspirators reunited with each other, Max having a somewhat satisfied look on his face. The two of them agreed to upload the recording to the CCT network via dust tube, to humiliate the Schnee patriarch on a global scale. Winter knew the fallout from this would set her father back quite a bit with his progress and heavily embarrass the name of Schnees. Winter had no regrets about this and she would thank Max for the opportunity to strike back, while enjoying the company of her beloved sister and being able to deny any involvement in this. Max simply grunted in agreement and the two of them returned to Atlas academy promptly.

-Evening-the Next day at a bar in Atlas near the school-

The next day, disgruntled Faunus all over remnant were singing the praises of the road warrior and laughing at Jacque Schnee, Thanks to the wonder of diplomatic immunity on the part of Ozpin and Ironwood, kept him from being charged of any crimes. Even the general secretly despised Jacque enough to let it slide under his radar. It was all allowed under the pretense that his hands were tied when it came to disputes between a company and another nation's diplomat. Winter had decided that she owed Max some gratitude, and offered him a chance to go out for a drink. The road warrior agreed, so long as it was kept simple, formal was not his forte. On that note Max had gone to meet with her and the two of them shared a drink at a decent sized bar where they would be left in peace. Max noticed a report on one of the Bar's TVs and he asked the bartender to change it to VNN. The bartender did so and the very report Max was expecting appeared.

"In other news, the world is taken by storm with Faunus rights groups rejoicing at the posting of a video on dust tube depicting the assault on Jacque Schnee. So far, the Vale council has ruled in favor of the road warrior on the grounds that his actions were justified by being provoked by the SDC. Vale foreign policy states that given the road warrior's status as a diplomat, the bounty was unlawful and therefore actionable. The major corporation has since been heavily fined for the crime, and no charges will be pressed against the visiting beacon instructor."

"I'd say that was well earned. I wonder what Ozpin did though to sway the council in your favor?" Winter mused to herself on the political skills of Beacon's headmaster.

"It doesn't matter to me, I'm satisfied and soon enough I'll be on my way." Max said as he took a swig from a large bottle of scotch that had been purchased by Winter.

"Well then a toast, to a small victory." Winter said with a smile as the two of them clinked their glasses together. After sometime, and more liquor, the normally serious atlas specialist had loosened up quite a bit. "I really should thank you, after all you plowed the way inside the manor for me to be able to see my sister again, without my wretched father knowing I was ever there."

"We both got what we wanted." Max grunted.

"I'd say I still want something more though, or perhaps rather *hiccup* a reward for you if you want it." Winter said with a boozed-up blush on her face.

-END CHAPTER-


	28. Signs of a storm

Mad Max: Road to Salvation

Episode 28: Signs of a storm

A/N: can anyone guess which movie I got the idea for the arm break from? Also this chapter is going to be some necessary filler.

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[Gamerman22: well good to know.]

[Ronmr: Thanks.]

[Charles: Thank you very much, and I was actually considering Owyn since it will be a boy.]

[Dungeon wyrm: Thank you my friend and your welcome.]

[Clearwingyuta: Almost there, just a little longer.]

[Review dude: Hopefully this fits the bill. It was difficult to gauge the reaction of some the other soon to be beacon students, so I did what little I could which wasn't much. As for an invite to menagerie, maybe in the future.]

[Firem78910: just lucky this time. Next time though...]

[SilentType1997: That's a really good question man. I know for sure I'm planning to do the spin off in volumes, but this one well, if it gets too long then I'll split it of into volumes.]

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-The Xiao-long residence-

"He really did a good job there!" Yang said as she playfully elbowed her sister.

"It's just so funny!" Ruby said with a smile. "But hey Yang."

"What is it Rubes?" Yang asked her cape wearing little sister.

"Uh take a look at his eyes." The second oldest of the Xiao-long siblings pointed at the road warrior's blue eyes as his picture became more defined next to the video playback.

"What about them?" Yang had a puzzled look on her face.

"They looked kind of familiar, don't they? That color, it's a really familiar kind of blue, like really, really familiar." Ruby hammered down the on the blue of the man's eyes.

"Actually, they do, but what's the point here? C'mon sis, tell me what you're getting at for real." Yang replied as she looked at her sincere younger sister.

"Well… it's just that they look just like…" Ruby trailed off as she turned to look at the triplets sitting in their highchairs playing with their food.

"No way, just, just no. Th-that's…" Yang said as she looked back towards the triplets.

"Goo goo gah gah" The triplets babbled playfully with their cute little faces smiling happily.

"But what if he is?" Ruby tilted her curiously at the idea of the very big possibility.

"Then we ask him, and if we don't like the answer, we kick his ass. Besides, that would mean he saw my mom…" Yang said with a slight growl as her eyes started to glow red.

"Yang, what if he doesn't know where she is?" Ruby immediately tried to placate the blonde brawler.

"If he does?" Yang snapped at her sister.

"Then you're right we should at least ask, nicely." Ruby said a brave tone, emphasizing on nicely.

"But what about them huh? He doesn't sound like dad of the year material to me!" Yang retorted with a frown on her face.

"Maybe he doesn't know about them? We have to at least give him the benefit of the doubt on this, right? It doesn't seem like he knows to me." Ruby put her hands up defensively as she tried to calm down her angry older sister. It seemed to work slightly as Yang appeared to calm down for the most part.

"I guess we'll find out then won't we, or at least I will when I go to beacon. I swear if he knew the whole time…" Yang said as her eyes still burned with anger at the thought of what Max may know that she wants to know for herself and may not know one bit at all.

-With Jaune Arc-

The youngest member of the Arc family had jaw dropped at the sight of how hilarious the beatdown of Jacque Schnee seemed to be. He knew the rich jerk deserved that, after all what goes around comes around. He couldn't stop laughing at the girly scream of the rich guy who couldn't take it like a man. But then who was he to laugh? He admitted to himself on more than one occasion that he wasn't exactly a badass, but maybe, just maybe, if his family could get him into beacon, he could learn to be a badass. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he heard a rough voice agreeing with him on that front.

For whatever reason, the road warrior seemed to inspire a confidence in Jaune that he didn't know he had. Of course, he didn't really know why, but he understood that he just knew. Plus, it was very funny to him seeing the humiliating beatdown for some reason. He had a feeling that he probably wasn't the only one out there laughing. Because somewhere out in the vast world of remnant, a hyper active pancake loving hammer wielder, was loving the funny-bone crunching hilarity while her best friend sighed and shook his head. The young man twitched slightly as his thoughts focused once more on the TV and the message that had been sent by the road warrior. 'Don't mess with Max.'

-Undisclosed Location-

At a secret white fang base, Adam Taurus was seething with rage behind closed doors as he witnessed the road warrior's ascension to the fame of a saint in the eyes of his fellow faunus. He was now off limits to any attack from the white fang, as an act of aggression against the people's champion would cause their followers to turn against the cause. This made the brutal bull faunus want to kill the first person he saw that wasn't Blake or his lieutenant. Most of his current underlings took care to avoid his lethal temper tantrum since they would be chopped to bits on sight. "Grr I want him dead, but now he's untouchable!" Adam ranted as he threw a table at a nearby wall, smashing it into splinters.

"Adam!" One of the grunts shouted at the leader of the white fang cell.

"What?!" Adam roared with blood lust in his eyes.

"It's Khan, she wants to speak with you." The simple faunus said meekly.

"That weakling, another one I can't kill… yet. She doesn't have the stomach to follow through with the true destiny of our kind. That will be over soon enough." Adam then swallowed his pride and buried his rage for now, so that he could play the part of Sienna's reluctant lapdog. The angry bull made his way to the communication's room so he could talk with his leader. He hated the leash she'd placed on him recently, and with his most hated embarrassment now out of his reach, killing khan eventually would have to fill that void.

-meanwhile on menagerie-

Blake Belladonna was torn at the display on her TV, one the one hand the man had threatened to kill her in cold blood if he ever laid eyes on her again, he had just stood up for faunus all over the globe. This one brutal wanderer was now a hero, plain and simple. It just didn't make sense to her how he could be so violent, yet actually achieve a peaceful goal with better results than the white fang could ever hope for. He had done the seemingly impossible, punishing the wealthiest man on remnant in his own home. That was something her brothers and sisters in arms had known would be next to impossible, but now it had been proven, this man could in fact do the near impossible. It just didn't make sense to her, not one bit. She had more than an idea of Adam's 'thoughts' on the matter though. Needless to say, she just couldn't get a solid opinion for herself on the road warrior, other than outright fear for her own life of course. He had made himself very clear when they last met, but perhaps he had changed in that time. She would just have to find out for herself, if he really was a man of his word or not.

-Salem's domain-

"Oh, that is just fucking great! Now this prick is a global hero?!" Felix snapped as he took in the new information.

"All because of your failure Felix, but it was to be expected of you. I had my suspicions on if you would succeed or not." Salem said stoically.

"You set me up to fail?" Felix said in disbelief that only seemed to spawn even more hatred for his employer. This seemed to fill the entirety of his body with a massive amount of rage.

"I sent you to test him, and he met the requirements. If you had actually managed to defeat and capture him, then it would be another obstacle removed the path as well as another useful pawn. But as it stands, he cannot be eliminated for now, as I'm sure you remember the concept of a martyr, and what happens if said martyr/martyrs are still alive, all too well from your last major contract if memory serves." Salem tried to silence to loud mouthed merc.

"Hmph, so what? Him being dead, would mean a much easier time for this little plan of yours. I really want to pay him back for that knife he jabbed into my forearm. I mean, do you know how hard it is to pull that kind of thing out of you? It sure isn't pretty, in fact it's actually extremely fucking painful." Felix said with no amount of his usual sarcasm and malice lost.

"That was before your failure, not now." Salem said calmly before turning to face Felix with a glare that would freeze over hell itself. "Remember your place in this endeavor mercenary, I gave you a new life, and I can take it away just as easily." At that moment, Felix was stuck between rude rebuttal or utter silence, he obviously chose the latter but not without wanting to growl in anger.

"Our employer is correct Felix, you would do well to learn that. Or are you too busy bragging and complaining to do so?" Watts said in a condescending manner the fast-talking mercenary.

"Go eat a dick Watts, I could barely be forced to give half a shit what you think." Felix replied while brandishing one of his favorite throwing knives.

"What did you say to me?!" Watts snapped at his associate's words.

"Eat. A. Dick, ya snobby ass cocksucker." Felix counted the first three words in the sentence on his hand as he spoke. He really hated the man with the mustache, his voice was a bit too much of a reminder of his former partner for whom Felix would enact his revenge when he got the chance, providing Salem held up her end of the bargain.

"You insufferable-!" Watts growled but was cut off by the dark elder goddess.

"Silence." Salem commanded to her feuding subordinates. The two men could only glare at each and think angry thoughts. Tyrian simply stood there with a smug grin on his face at the display of incompetence shown by his associates. Cinder and her cronies were also watching and despite her discomfort at Tyrian's presence she shared the sentiment. "Regardless, it is clear that we must find this road warrior's weakness. We have already established that his death at this point, would only serve to hinder our current efforts, as others would rise up in his name to take vengeance in the pursuit of justice. Since he cannot be removed conventionally, instead he must be broken."

"I remember the prophecy spoken by that mystic from before. I believe when he spoke of a legacy, he was possibly referring to the road warrior's children. It is quite simple, when the children perish, the parent will break. It is human nature; the most obvious weakness is his loved ones. Even the mightiest have fallen into despair when everyone they know and care for the most is dead." Cinder explained her remembrance of the mystic's prophecy, and the opportunities it would present.

"Well then Cinder, do you have any knowledge as to their whereabouts? I am already well aware of his son, the new mistral champion." Salem replied to her fiery and seductive subordinate.

"He also has a daughter, a precious little girl and perhaps several others." Cinder responded curtly.

"Then the answer is obvious. But before you undertake this endeavor, what is the progress on your current search for the fall maiden?" Salem said as she sat down and crossed her legs.

"Unfortunately, Ozpin's pet bird has been successful in finding the girl first. But this is also a boon, knowing Qrow, he'll most likely be on foot to avoid being discovered. If we find him, we find her, and I can take the power for myself." Cinder responded with a sadistic grin of pure malicious intent on her pretty face.

"Excellent, then you know what you must do next." Salem said expectantly.

"Yes, Salem. I will hunt them down with assistance from my associates." Cinder replied calmly as she stood before the dark elder goddess who could erase her very easily should she ever disappoint her.

"Good, do not fail me Cinder, I rarely have use for failures." The dark queen briefly glanced at Felix before turning her gaze back to Cinder. "Am I understood on the matter?" the dark queen said as she stood up and looked cinder in the eyes.

"I understand, failure is not an option." Cinder didn't waiver under the gaze of her dark mistress and turned to walk away into the shadows.

-Back with Max and Winter-

The two of them had spent the night together and it was eventful to say the least. Winter enjoyed Max's company as well as his lesser known gift which happened to be of decent size. As steamy as it was Max knew that despite griffa's prophecy it was for the better that he wore protection. That was something he hadn't done in quite some time, it was very refreshing to actually know the pleasurable company of a female who didn't hide the fact of it being a brief fling. For now, he was still none the wiser about his other three children except for one he would soon share with Glynda.

After their night together, Winter couldn't help but offer Max one last bit of compensation in the form of a ring for him to propose with. Max was grateful for the favor and winter agreed that he owed her one. When it came time to leave atlas Max was more satisfied to be returning to Vale. Despite their obvious distaste for each other, Max and General agreed to a standard of professionalism whenever in each other's presence if it can be helped. Once Max hopped aboard a transit ship from atlas it was a long but welcomed ride back.

He spent that time in silence and contemplated what would happen now. He was not one to enjoy fame, or crave it, but now he was in the spotlight. It was a position that left him feeling vulnerable, now that everyone knew who he was. At least now the white fang couldn't touch him, otherwise they'd create irreparable damage to their cause. He had no doubt he'd receive a hero's welcome home from the population of beacon. But what really mattered to him was that Anya and Bruz safe. A part of him couldn't wait to present the ring to Glynda. It was weighing on his mind though how he'd do it. He'd done so many things, but now he couldn't remember how he'd even proposed to his first wife. The attempt at digging up that memory stung, but thanks to his daughter Anya, he understood it was time to move on. He decided to settle in and sleep as it was going to be a long flight home. He couldn't shake a bad feeling that settled in the back of his mind though, something bad was coming and it wasn't far away.

-END CHAPTER-


	29. Into the warzone

Mad Max: Road to Salvation

Episode 29: Into the warzone

A/N: sorry that this was so rushed, I've been having some difficulties and this kind got knocked back abit. I tried to do my best but time pressure and writers block a real pain.

[EnriksD8: Yeah that's a bunch of kids, it's going to be strange alright, and I'm actually thinking bout changing the girls names.]

[Charles: Thanks for the idea dude, I'm really considering it.]

[Ronmr: Yep he's just your average ordinary everyday superhero, and you are correct. Hell hath no fury like a pissed off Max.]

[Dungeon Wyrm: Yes it did and this is where you see it.]

[Review Dude: Truer words were never said man.]

[Clearwingyuta: He will but not without a trail of misery.]

[Gamerman22: Well...]

[awsomrebel55: There will be hell for her to pay, for she will anger a man who stop at nothing to take vengeance.]

[Guest1: I'll keep that in mind.]

[Guest2: Damn straight!]

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-Vale unsettled territory-

The dusty old Qrow had been having a rough time so far searching for Amber Autumn, the latest fall maiden. She'd been very elusive, which the veteran huntsman just had to give her credit for, despite the fact that it ticked him off. he was at least lucky enough to be in the general area of her last reported sighting. This little search of his was about to finally pay off when he discovered her hiding in a cave and using her powers to make a small fire. The girl had been simply sitting there looking as if she were in deep thought about something. That was a look Qrow had seen before on a certain leather clad combat driver. So, after observing her for a little longer, the veteran huntsman decided to cautiously approach the girl so as to avoid giving off the wrong first impression. But as fate would have it, his semblance kicked in and he stepped on a very brittle twig. He froze at the sound and Amber snapped her head to his direction.

"Hey." Qrow said as he stepped into view, that was sadly the best thing he could come up with. Amber narrowed her eyes and dashed out of the cave. Qrow sighed and shook his head as he began the chase through the forest. The two of them were unknowingly being observed by a Grimm that hid in the shadows. One long and convoluted chase later, Qrow had finally managed to corner the fall maiden and he decided to stick with the diplomatic approach. "Okay so I know we got off on the wrong foot but before you try to give me slip again, my name's Qrow. I know you're probably wondering why I just went through all that trouble to chase you down." Qrow said as he put away his weapon and stood a reasonable distance in front of the girl while looking her straight in the eye. The girl nodded but did not lower her flaming fists. "Look, I know this'll be one hell of a stretch but, I'm here to be your guardian angel." Qrow said as he put a hand to the side of his head. Amber gave him a sarcastic look that practically screamed 'seriously?'. The veteran huntsman nodded and crossed his arms, patiently standing and waiting for her to finally realize he was on her side. The Grimm that was watching quickly disappeared into the darkness of the woods to report what it saw.

Amber was not one to be tied down, and neither did she like the idea of being tailed be a man who reeked of whiskey. Other people only slowed her down in her opinion, and she was determined to be left alone. Qrow could see that look in her eyes that she was going to do exactly what he predicted she would. But then he decided to just take a break and sit down on a nearby log, taking a swig from his favorite flask. "I get it you're the loner type, heh I know a guy who used to have that same mindset. Of course, his are probably for entirely different reasons from whatever's going in that head of yours. I don't think he'd mind if I shared a little story with ya. At least give me that much, one measly minute to talk like two normal people, and it'd be nice if you could toss up another little fire. Can you do that?"

Despite his attitude, Amber decided to answer his question since he'd gone to this much trouble. "Can I, yes. Will I…"

"She finally speaks, praise oum almighty!" Qrow cut her off rudely with an outburst of surprise while he was slightly buzzed.

"Don't push your luck or I'm gone. You get that?" Amber said with anger in her voice.

"Yeah, sure, whatever you say kid." Qrow brushed her off and returned to his drinking. The two of them sat together one opposite sides of a small campfire. Qrow began to tell Amber the bare minimum of his exciting tale about man named Max. Amber was still enthralled though, despite Qrow's efforts to avoid revealing too much. If he did, he would be betraying Max's trust, and he at least considered the man a friend, if a bit grouchy. Amber hadn't really heard much since she was constantly on the move across the countryside, but this was news to her. It was hard to believe what could to one good yet extremely unfortunate man. The things he could do sounded like the man was a nearly unstoppable killing machine. She wasn't wrong on that account, and Qrow could tell that from her subtle reactions as he spoke.

-2 days later-Vale wilderness-

After finally convincing amber of his true nature Qrow still hard a hard time staying close since she'd constantly try to lose him in the woods. It didn't make sense to him why she was constantly trying to lose him even though he thought he'd made progress these last few days. All that mattered though was that he had found her and it was time to get her to the safety of the nearest settlement so he could report in. He'd be a lot happier if she would just quit being a pain in his ass by constantly trying to run. The old bird knew that was the quickest way for something bad to happen since if he'd found her, it was obvious that Salem's goons were not far behind. That was all the more reason for him to get her in line and out of the woods so that he could go looking for the rest of the maidens. But as luck would have it, high above him on a cliff was a very eager Cinder and her cronies Emerald and Mercury. The three of them had also been sent with a small army of Grimm to accomplish their sinister goal. Cinder smiled one of her most sinister grins yet under her black mask. The three of them had made sure to disguise themselves in black suits and gear so as to avoid being identified later by the more than capable huntsman. Cinder turned to face the Grimm and pointed her finger at the two people below. The small snarling legion of dark beasts sounded their respective calls for blood as they flooded the area, the battle had begun.

Qrow and Amber began using their abilities to combat the horde of Grim that had seemingly come from nowhere. The veteran huntsman knew all too well why they were here as it was only a matter of time. He had hoped there would have been a little more but it was plain to see that time had abandoned him. But there was still one thing he kept in case of emergency, he knew it was a good idea to keep one little thing just for this. Once he'd finally gotten some breathing room, Qrow pulled out a little device that looked a flash bang with a little red button on top. He pressed the red button and hoped for the best as it started blinking rapidly. Qrow shoved it back into his pocket and gritted his teeth as he resumed fighting the beasts. Amber was doing her best to avoid being killed by the seemingly endless horde of Grimm. Cinder and her two goons simply sat back and watched the show as the two fighters tired themselves out, unaware of Qrow's little distress call. The little transponder in Qrow's pocket worked its magic and sent out a powerful SOS signal that reached the nearest CCT link. From there, the signal raced along the lane of digital information, and into the terminal of professor Ozpin. The message had been received and the wise headmaster knew exactly who to send as the tip of the spear for this emergency.

-Beacon-Max's racing garage-

Max had finally granted doctor Gray her chance to examine the vehicle today, after all this time since even though she had been super eager she hadn't gotten around to it until now. She was right in the middle of cataloging the various systems within the magnificent engine that is the heart and soul of the interceptor. Max was keeping a close eye on the doctor, in the event he should need to curb her enthusiasm. The entire science staff of beacon was assisting the doctor with various measurements and other parts of the scientific method. This car's propulsion method of using a clear and very volatile substance for fuel was obvious to the scientists who took a small amount out of the tank. They found trace amounts of fire dust that had been mixed in sometime ago and separated the two substances. In their discoveries they learned the fuel could be far more potent when combined with dust. But before their observations could continue, the alarm sounded and Ozpin sent a message through to Max. The road warrior heard his orders and grabbed a picture of Anya on his way out. He still had yet to present the ring to Glynda but she had made it clear how she felt when he came home. Needless to say, Max was still waiting for the perfect moment to do it. He shooed away the eggheads and fired up the engine. The interceptor roared to life as it's driver put it in gear and stomped down on the gas pedal. He even hit the nitrous for good measure as he blasted out through the open garage door and onto the street, the cavalry was now on its way.

Max made good time on his trip into the forest as he made every effort possible to rescue Qrow and the package. He knew all too well what he was going to be facing, impossible odds, very high chance of death (for someone other than himself), just another day in the life of Max. The road warrior raced down a dirt trail into the deeper parts of Grimm infested territory with a look of determination on his face. He needed some revenge against whoever had sent the assassin after him, and this was a good start. Max's vehicle seemed to agree as it roared with pride while the pedal was pressed to the floor. In his haste though, he had forgotten to bring more reinforcements. But he supposed that Ozpin was going send someone after him since he was probably going to be the first of many.

-Back with Qrow-

The veteran huntsman was starting to finally get tired out from the fighting since the Grimm just kept coming one beast after another. It was like for every one he killed two more would take their place. It made him annoyed to say the least as he grunted in determination to hold out until reinforcements arrived. Meanwhile, Cinder was sitting high above taking her focus off of the bird and putting it on her true target, the fall maiden. She watched with interest as the girl she was going to kill continued to hold back the tide of bloodthirsty monsters. She supposed it was time to get on with it since she only needed to kill the fall maiden and be the last person she saw before dying. That was all it would take, an arrow through the heart and that would be it, the Grimm were playing their part just fine by separating the fighters. So, without further delay, she and her companions descended quietly into the battlefield.

The chaos of combat provided the perfect cover for them to sneak up behind the girl and close in for the kill. Once they were out of sight of Qrow, the Grimm started getting more ferocious in their attacks and knocked down Amber. Two beowolves bit down on her arms, she screamed in agony and pain. Cinder walked over to the girl with a confident sway in her step as she approached. The fiery temptress smiled deviously as she kneeled down to gloat. She could see the anger in Amber's eyes as tears of pain rolled down her cheeks. Cinder briefly thought about how she should finish this and a sadistic thought came to mind that she found to be delicious. In a flash, Cinder's had turned jet black and she stabbed it into Amber's chest with the girl screaming in agony as her very soul was being drained out of her body and into her attacker. Cinder could feel the power, every single once of it was intoxicating beyond her wildest ideas forged within the black pit of her demented imagination. As she did so, Amber's world grew darker, little by little she felt a growing sense of cold as her soul was sucked away. As Cinder continued her work, a loud droning sound began to echo in the distance.

The loud sound made her feel uneasy, but that was strange to her. Nothing had ever made her feel fear except for Salem. If anything, she was the one to be feared in her mind. The sound grew louder almost as if it were getting closer with each passing moment. Mercury and Emerald took up defensive stances as the approaching cause of sound revealed itself by charging at them at highway speed. The two minions of Cinder dodged to the side as a large black blur swerved and left a cloud dust in its wake to reveal the shape of a car. This wasn't just any old car though; this car was the symbol of the one man whom they had not expected to see for quite some time to come. The driver side door opened and what came out was the road warrior himself. He ran at the trio at top speed, drew his shotguns firing both guns at them. This extreme concussive force of the blasts knocked Cinder away from her demented joy and onto the ground in a daze. She then recovered and snapped her to max, burning with anger at the interruption. "Mercury, Emerald, kill him." Cinder ordered to her subordinates and the two briefly hesitated before running at head on at Max.

The road warrior read their telegraphed movements as he dodged their strikes one after the other. Mercury attacked with a barrage of kicks only for max to grab one and counter. He slammed the kickboxer onto the ground and was about to beat the living tar out of the agile kicker. But at that moment, Emerald recovered thinking quickly she fired her pistols at Max. The road warrior leapt away and retaliated with a barrage form his assault rifle. The man emptied the magazine as Emerald barely dodged his rapid automatic fire. She was trying to cast her illusions, but for some reason Max's aim continued to stay true. She was lucky when Mercury came to her rescue and ran at Max again trying to catch him off guard. The veteran cop dodged Mercury's kick and kneed him square in the nuts. The kickboxing evildoer froze in pain as he fell to the floor cradling his two best friends. Max had made it quite clear that he meant business and for the first time Cinder felt an unexplained twinge of fear as she looked at Max's eyes.

-END CHAPTER-


	30. A Damaging draw

Mad Max: Road to Salvation

Episode 30: Damaging draw

 **A/N: Max only interrupted Cinder's power grab, he didn't prevent it. Just clearing that up, and I hope no one leaves or flames me for that.**

* * *

[Clearwingyuta: Thanks.]

[Ronmr: Yep, but now she has a trump card. To tell the truth I'm still figuring that out as to what it will be, but he definitely will get it and his Aura. He is going to be strong when it unlocks, all thanks to his sheer force of will.]

[Gamerman22: Yes and no.]

[Dungeon Wyrm: Yeah he had that coming and well...]

[Review Dude: She will fear him, but just as Max is nigh unstoppable, he is still only human for now.]

[awsomrebel: Yeah they got a much deserved ass kicking, but three(one with even stronger powers) on one(with only superb skills and no powers), isn't a fair fight, even for old Max. The more things change, the more they stay the same, including Cindy and Salem's devious little plan. But don't worry, wrenches will jam those gears up later.]

[lordofuslessness: He will again later, but right now, I don't want to burn that joke out.]

[EnriksD8: They will face judgement soon enough, but for now their executions have to wait.]

[SilentType1997: I consider your challenge, as difficult as it may be. If longer is what you want, then when it comes, it will take a long time to write it all, So a deadline may later be missed.]

* * *

Cinder's moment of twisted joy had been shattered by this one man. He had no powers, no aura, no special gifts, he was even permanently injured, yet he was doing things no normal man should be capable of. She couldn't understand it, how was he capable of facing her subordinates head on with only his skills and a small arsenal? But then another thought came to her mind, she taken a large portion of the now dying maiden's powers. Once she had processed that information, her fear changed to confidence. She now had the powers of a demi-god and the arms of a Grimm, and her opponent was a mere mortal. The false fall maiden stood up and looked the man straight into his piercing blue eyes that seemed to peer into her twisted soul. The road warrior only stared back with a calm and focused look on his face.

It immensely bothered Cinder though, but she was about to demonstrate why she believes that she alone is the one to be feared, power is all that matters, and the nearly unstoppable man of war had none. The burning witch summoned a powerful flame into her hands and seemed to look smugly at the seemingly unafraid mortal, despite the fear that she tried to bury. Emerald and Mercury were also grinning at the power Cinder was now displaying, as it would now appear that the brave hero would meet his doom. Max just stood there waiting, he cracked his neck with a satisfying pop as he waited. The seemingly fearless nature this man presented irritated her greatly, but she supposed it was to be expected as the man probably had no idea of how powerful she had now become even when being interrupted, at least she would get the rest soon enough when the other girl would bleed out and die.

"So, you must be the road warrior. I've been expecting to meet you eventually, I'll admit you caught me off guard. But now, I will give you a chance to come with me and serve a cause that will benefit you greatly. All you need to do is kneel before me, and then kill the former fall maiden. Make your choice, power or death." Cinder made the man an offer.

"Hmph, is that so...? Then no." Max quickly drew his guns and fired. Cinder threw up a wall of fire to block the shot in response.

"Oh well, I will enjoy cooking you alive then." Cinder said with a smug tone as she sent a bolt of fire at Max. The road warrior rolled out of the way as he pulled a grenade from his belt and rolled it across the ground. Cinder jumped away from the blast and continued to joyously throw balls of fire at her prey. The whole time though, Max kept a cool head in the face of these new odds, as it was not the first time he'd entered combat against an enemy that played with fire. Of course, this girl was using it in a far different manner than the flames he was used to avoiding. But it didn't matter, fire is still fire to him, no matter where it comes from, or how it's used.

Max changed up his tactics and swapped to the shock shells from his assault on Schnee manor. He quickly reloaded, and fired the bolts of lightning dust from all four barrels at Cinder, which caught her by surprise again. The blast sent a powerful wave of energy throughout her entire nervous system making her scream from the agonizing pain. Qrow briefly caught a glimpse at the scene and for some reason he thought of his niece Yang, she would probably have called it a 'shocking experience.'

Max saw the moment to strike and punched Cinder square in her face. The sick minded sadist actually felt the pain from that despite her aura shielding her from the impact. She knew her arms were unprotected, but how were her opponent's attacks bypassing the rest of it from sheer force alone? The answer would have to wait though as she impacted with the ground. She felt anger rise from within her as the one man stood against in silent defiance with no change to his expression at all. She unleashed a wall of flames around herself in her rage to kill this man before he actually kills her. Max jumped back and gritted his teeth as he unloaded an entire magazine from his rifle at Cinder. This caused the angry false fall maiden to stumble backwards and cringe in fear. Max saw small cracks form on her aura, and he continued hammering away with his rifle after reloading, keeping up the pressure.

Emerald saw a chance and intervened by shooting at Max and distracting him enough for Cinder to land a strike on Max with her thrown flames. As Max flew backwards, a small picture fluttered out of his pocket, and landed in front of the dying fall maiden, Amber. The bleeding girl was contemplating her end, doing exactly what her attacker wanted. But that was up until the little picture landed in front her face, almost as if it were hand delivered by fate. The picture was of a smiling young faunus girl dressed in black, with a black hairband on her head, puppy dog ears, and a cute little bow on the band. On the bottom front of the picture was a small message. 'Good luck daddy! Love Anya'.

Amber limply grasped the picture and imagine the happiness on the girl's face as she must love her father very much. The dying maiden looked to see direction where the picture had flown from and saw the valiant warrior fighting against the fire witch and her two cronies. The three villains seemed to have caught their second wind, and were fighting evenly against the hardened road warrior. Qrow had finally dealt with the Grimm and ran to help out Max as the road warrior started to lose ground. Max was burning through his arsenal rapidly as he locked blades with Emerald. He used his other hand to send Mercury flying backwards with a blast from both barrels of one of his shotguns.

Cinder was about to launch herself at him when Qrow's scythe appeared and the drunken huntsman started pushing her back. Max and Qrow stood back to back as they faced their opponents. The road warrior nudged his ally's shoulder and Qrow seemed to pick up on the message. In a quick display of teamwork, both fighters charged at their three fiendish opponents head on. Cinder and Qrow were duking it out, with the veteran huntsman gaining the upper hand thanks to his abilities that he'd gained from experience as a full-fledged huntsman.

The fiery witch knew as long as she had Mercury and Emerald by her side to help overwhelm him with numbers, the road warrior would no longer pose as severe of a problem. She knew it was time to retreat as she caught passing glimpse of Max taking on Mercury and emerald with an even sense to the fight. Max was gaining the upper hand over the devious duo as he grabbed Mercury by a leg, causing the kickboxer's eyes to widen in fear, and slammed him into Emerald. The two of them were feeling their heads spin as Max tore through both them like it was a walk in the park. They could feel their aura draining rapidly while Max was now the one with a second wind.

The sky started to fill with the sounds of aircraft engines as a bullhead entered the area. Cinder looked up and gritted her teeth in anger as she would now have to be the one running from the fight. The false fall maiden conjured up a wall of flames to distract both of the heroic warriors and quickly made a move to escape with her henchmen. Max scowled as the flames scorched the ground and Cinder had escaped to cause more horror later on down the road. The two veteran fighters let it go for now and ran over to check on the fall maiden who seemed to be on the razor thin edge between life death.

Max checked her pulse and ran over to his car to find cloth for bandages. He found a tarp in the back seat and ripped it up to make bandages. With Qrow's help they were able to slow the bleeding down enough to hold out until a medical team would arrive to help. When the ship touched down Max and Qrow wasted no time moving the girl into the cargo bay. The two of them were greeted with the sight of Glynda arriving on scene having been dispatched by Ozpin to help. The pilot maneuvered the ship over the interceptor and hooked it up. After the car was secured, the bullhead flew off back to beacon as fast as possible so that the girl could receive emergency medical care.

-several hours later-Beacon infirmary-

The surgery had been 'touch and go' leaving Amber in a technically stable state. But her condition was still deteriorating at a steady pace. Max kept watch over her as the girl's heart rate monitor beeped with regular but steady length-increasing intervals. The medical equipment was doing its work, and beacon's top medical staff had done their best. The girl's condition was extremely evident though as a tar black corruption spread throughout her body. The attacker had left some kind of cancer-like venom in her system. She was being killed from the inside, slowly and painfully by the toxic substance that had been left behind. The road warrior finally stepped out of the room and noticed something missing. He vigorously searched his pockets for the precious picture of his daughter.

"Is this what you're looking for?" The girl said with a weak voice as she held up the picture. The road warrior walked over to her and took back the picture. "It's just amazing, the things life can throw at us." Amber said wearily before her pain spiked and painkillers were immediately pumped into her bloodstream.

"Rest, you'll live longer." Max said gruffly.

"It doesn't feel like that's going to be that much anyway." Amber said in a miserable tone.

"Depends on your perspective, to know you're close to the end is a kind of freedom." Max offered some of his wasteland wisdom.

"Some freedom, death is still death, and dying sucks." Amber groaned in sorrowful tone of self-pity.

"But will your death mean something? That's a question you should be asking yourself right now." Max said calmly.

"*sigh* Yes and no. I-" Amber started to say but was interrupted by Anya.

"Daddy?" Anya said as she quickly appeared, looking for her father.

"Hey there sweet pea." Max said warmly to his adoptive daughter.

"Who are you talking to?" The little faunus girl asked with her finger hanging out of her mouth.

"She never told me." Max pointed out Amber's neglect to introduce herself. The fall maiden briefly gained an angry tick mark on her forehead, but let her anger subside when she got a good look at the sweet little faunus girl.

"I'm Amber." The fall maiden said with a relaxed smile.

"My name is Anya Onyx-Rockatansky." She said with a little curtsy.

"Come over here sweet pea." Max gestured to his daughter that it was ok to enter the room.

"Yes daddy." Anya said sweetly as she hopped onto her father's knee.

"She's so cute. She even looks a lot like you." Amber stated with a keen eye.

"I'm afraid my girl here is adopted." Max replied.

"Could've fooled me. Where did you find her?" The fall maiden inquired with an eyebrow raised.

"Riverdale Junction, she stowed away in the back seat of my car, all because of the dog." Max explained some of the rocky start of how he and Anya came to enjoy each other's company.

"Sounds like you have a nice little family." Amber smiled.

"I'm alive because of her." Max stated truthfully.

"Really? From what you say it seems like the opposite." Amber was confused by Max's words.

"It's mutually beneficial, simple as that." Max stated calmly as he ruffled Anya's ears making the little girl smile. Anya had quickly charmed her way into Amber's heart, making the weary maiden smile slightly.

Ozpin walked in, addressing the road warrior and his daughter. "I think I have a little story you might want to hear Max, and maybe Anya as well."

"Which story? And it's not my bedtime yet!" Anya said excitedly with a huff.

"Don't worry, in fact I think you may have heard this one before." Ozpin said in a whimsical tone.

"Ooh is it the story of the maidens?!" Anya guessed with a huge smile on her face.

"That's correct." Ozpin said kindly to the sweet little girl. The wise headmaster then began telling the tale to the inhabitants of the room. Anya's eyes were wide with wonder at the idea of real magic being bestowed upon the four girls. As she listened, so did her father and the dying maiden, both of whom began to see the deeper message behind the professor's tale. But Anya soon began to get sleepy and snuggled up to her father. Amber didn't know why, but when she looked at Anya she began to feel a sense of peace and calm affection towards the little faunus girl. It was almost as if looking at her reminded the dying maiden of the warmth from the afternoon sun.

As Ozpin continued to weave his story though, Amber began to put pieces together in her mind about the man who sat in the chair cradling the child. Qrow's story from before came to mind, what little he had told her began to fit the description of this man in leather armor beside her. Was he the wanderer that Qrow seemed to revere? Could this be the man who fought the ruthless Raven Branwen and survived? It made some sense as she remembered what little she saw of the battle. Yet after everything he'd done, here he was, almost happy. It was all thanks to that girl who he seemed to cherish deeply. It was almost as if she were a piece of his soul, his heart. She put those at the back of her mind and returned to listening to words of professor Ozpin.

Once the older man finished his tale Max carried Anya off to her bedroom trying to be as quiet as possible the whole way. The wise headmaster then went on to explain to Amber the other aspects of her abilities and what the ramifications were for the unfortunate turn of events that had occurred. The maiden continued to have further bouts of pain from the corruption eating away at her insides faster than her aura could repair the damage. It seemed to get more aggressive as time went by, like someone was speeding it along. Ozpin had bid her farewell for the night and went off to continue his duties. The wise old man knew exactly who was responsible for this, but at least there was still time to find a replacement. But the question of 'who that would be' reared its head, the corruption would not wait. There was one suitable candidate already, but even he knew that was a step too far. It would possibly even anger her wrathful father if he so much as mentioned the idea. Although that was also the problem, Anya had just become the most prominent young girl in Amber's mind, which he was somewhat thankful for. Ozpin pondered his options thoroughly as he walked the halls of his hallowed institution. He knew from Qrow and Max's report that half of Amber's soul had been drained and half of the power with it. So far, the odds of Anya gaining the power in case of Amber's death were within the realm of possibility. But then again, it was also possible that the power would reunite with its other half. So many questions, yet there was so little time to search for the answers.

-END CHAPTER-


	31. Times to come

Mad Max: Road to Salvation

Episode 31: Times to come

 **A/N: Ok so this is the final chapter of this volume and I'll pick it back up later in volume 2 after I take care of my other stories that need attention. Hopefully this is a satisfying conclusion to a great first volume. Please don't flame me or leave for what's about to happen.**

* * *

[Charles: thanks but I had to change that, it just didn't feel satisfying to me.]

[Gamerman22: Sorry but that's going to be in the next volume, I promise.]

[CLearwingyuta: thanks.]

* * *

-SEVERAL DAYS LATER-

"You want to do what?" Max snarled at the wise headmaster who treaded on thin ice.

"I understand your reluctance Max but-" Ozpin started to make his case but he was interrupted by an irritated Max.

"This is-" Max started to say but Ironwood interrupted him as well.

"Necessary! It's asset denial mister Rockatansky, you remember teaching that to your students, don't you?" Ironwood butted in.

"James, you have to understand how difficult this is for him." Ozpin tried to remind the general of his place in this discussion.

"You're asking to risk my daughter's life. Difficult is not the most accurate word." Max crossed his arms and scowled.

"We would not do so lightly Max, you know as well as I do what our enemy is capable of. If this power falls into her hands then it spells disaster for all of us." Ozpin tried to remind Max of the danger they were all facing with the threat of the false fall maiden.

"Why isn't Glynda here?" Max growled at the absence of the girl's surrogate mother.

"She's… also considering the options." Ozpin replied calmly.

"You told her first?" Max raised an eyebrow.

"I wanted to give you both time to weigh this individually, I'm not blind to how both of you feel about each other." The wise headmaster explained in a calm tone.

"How did you know?" Max sighed.

"I know a ring case when I see one." Ozpin pointed to one of Max's pouches that held the ring since it was shaped differently from its normal appearance.

"We're getting off of the subject you two! Glynda and Max's impending marriage aside, this is our best option!" The general tried to bring the discussion back its original topic.

"Ironwood, I will only warn you once, this is my daughter's life, so watch your tone!" The road warrior growled at the general who stood behind the safety of a video screen in atlas.

"This would benefit all of us including her, but I will not deny that it carries risks." Ozpin admitted the risks of the process of aura transfer.

"Then tell me, how does it benefit her?" Max said with his tone growing more reasonable.

"It gives her the chance to gain the strength to protect herself. From what the science teams, and the good doctor Grey have determined, it may be possible that Amber and Anya will simply share the body rather than completely fusing their souls together. But for the sake of argument, the latter has an equal chance to the former of occurring should we choose this route." Ozpin said tactfully, explaining the full weight of this predicament. "Either we deny our enemies the full power of the fall maiden, or risk everything later on. I know you would choose your child over the world, but in this case, I would argue that both go hand in hand. But I will not force you Max, you lost more than your fair share of loved ones in the past, and it is your decision to make."

"You're asking me to risk my child, and yet you haven't even told me who exactly we're fighting Ozpin." Max sighed in an attempt to curb his anger and relax.

"That's true, I haven't but she is not our current discussion." Ozpin told the truth.

"I don't care, say it." Max demanded.

"*sigh*Her name is Salem." The wise headmaster began his explanation. Max began to hear the whole story of who the enemy truly is. Max had encountered her before in his mind once as he recalled the nightmare he'd had some time ago. Ozpin continued his explanation on the dark queen's existence to the barest extent, so as to keep some secrets close to his chest as usual, and also away from the war mongering general, who was also now privy to this info. It was enough to satisfy the angered road warrior, and even explain who created the Grimm to an extent. With that said, Max stormed out of the room to think about the events of this night.

Even now as he sat upon the rooftops of beacon, the wasteland veteran who'd seen it all, was left at a crossroads. He knew this decision would've been easier a long time ago, but then again that was a different time and place, when he was a far more broken man. He was not devoid of his painful scars, but neither was he completely healed even though Anya had helped to ease most of his suffering. It seemed fate was still against him, even after he'd been returning to being at least close to the man he once was. He knew he'd never be the same again, that was a given fact of life for him. But could he do same to his own adopted daughter? Would it be heartless to force this fate upon her? Or, could it be a blessing in disguise? These thoughts plagued his mind while he stood a lonely vigil over the school, with the light of the broken moon shinning down on him for company.

Meanwhile, Glynda was also in her own state of melancholia on what to think of this. She had known Ozpin for a very long time but she'd never considered he'd go this far. How could he even consider forcing this on a child who was so young? The huntsmen and huntresses in training were at least old enough to defend themselves and would hopefully understand the risks of their chosen profession. But this, it was madness. The normally stoic and strict disciplinarian had come to love that girl as if she were her own daughter and it sickened so, to learn that even Oz would go that far. She wanted to pretend it didn't happen, that her employer and friend could never cross that line. But he had, and this problem would go away. She knew of Salem through what little Ozpin had explained, which was still a great deal of information. But the weight of the world on the shoulders of a child, a toddler no less? That was sheer insanity! As the good witch of beacon of paced the empty halls in deep thought, she received an alert on her scroll that made her eyes go wide with horror. With the directions she had been given, she ran to find Max and alert him to what had just happened.

After sometime had passed, the two of them made it to see Amber crying out in fits of pain for what may be her last moments in the land of the living. The whole time though, within her mind, Amber was hearing Max's words from the previous days repeat themselves. Despite the feeling of her insides imploding she fought with all her will to think of Anya. The girl had been so sweet to her in the few times she'd stumbled in to speak with her. It had had left her wondering where her own innocence had gone. She forced away the thoughts of her attacker even as the cancer seemed to try forcing its way into her mind. Amber pulled the face of Anya into her mind and refused to let go as the darkness began to consume her. With one final act of defiance, she made sure the last girl in her thoughts would not be her attacker but instead the daughter of Max. The heart monitor sounded its long tone to signal that the life of the fall maiden had been extinguished. Everyone in the room gathered around as Amy gently shut the girl's eyelids with the palm of her hand, while doctor Grey deactivated the various pieces of medical equipment. But one thing that seemed to be a small comfort, was that she had died with a smile on her face. No one could understand why though, except for Max who had a sinking feeling in his gut. He sprinted away in the direction of Anya's bedroom without another word. Glynda chased after him to find out why he had done so. Ozpin also clued into the same possibility that ran through their minds and calmly walked off to follow them.

At that moment, Anya was peacefully playing in dreamland without a care in the world. As she was enjoying a good dream Amber seemed to appear right beside her. The innocent little girl smiled warmly at her presence with Amber returning the sentiment. She knew her time had come though and decide to say her farewell to the girl who'd warmed her heart. In the physical world, Anya's body glowed ominously from behind the safety of her bedroom door. Max continued his sprint to Anya's room not even caring how winded he was getting from it.

"Well Anya I think it's time I went away." Amber said with a with sorrowful smile.

"Where are you going?" Anya tilted her head curiously.

"Hopefully, somewhere nice." Amber answered calmly.

"Will you ever come back?" The little faunus girl asked sweetly.

"Maybe someday, take care of yourself while I'm gone ok." The former fall maiden replied with a sigh.

"Ok, I'll miss you." Anya said with a sad look in her eyes.

"Me too, but I'll leaving you with a very special present." Amber tried to cheer up the girl.

"Ooh what is it?" Anya grinned with wonder.

"You'll find out when you wake up. Goodbye." Amber said as she waved to her little friend and disappeared into a bright portal of light that quickly vanished. Just like that, Anya's body stopped glowing and Max reached the door. He opened it to catch the fading glow and hear the quietly peaceful breaths coming from where his daughter slept. He breathed a sigh of both relief and frustration as he knew what came with this new development all too well. Glynda arrived just after him and Max looked to her with his usual stoic face. It was clear both of them would have a lot to talk about concerning the future. The next day preparations were made for the proper burial of Amber's body. Ozpin had a decent hidden location in mind. It was a quiet ceremony; the rain had poured down that day with barely any words spoken in remembrance. As they mourned her death, the question still remained about where to go on from here. Max watched the beautifully decorated coffin sink into the ground. It was the first time in a very long time that he'd seen a proper burial first hand. He and Glynda looked each other in the eyes, both with looks of sorrow at the demise of the former fall maiden. The two of them were reminded that despite what they were capable of, everyone dies. Knowing that fact Glynda knew how she felt about the man in front of her, time would not wait for her to take the chance. Both of them held hands before Glynda leaned in to kiss Max directly on the lips. This was beyond unexpected for him, especially at this particular moment. Glynda used just the right amount of tongue as she deepened the kiss with no objection from the man she had grown to love. Ozpin saw this and thought to himself about how when the average person is faced with their own mortality it can make them do the most unpredictable things.

Later that night, Max proudly stood guard over his daughter's bedroom. The young girl now had a massive target painted on her back and he knew it. He now had a mortal enemy who would stop at nothing to kill her, making him more than eager to find Salem and take the fight to her wherever she is. Ozpin had made it clear to him that Salem will never stop until she is either successful in killing everyone who lives and breathes or until someone destroys her. With that in mind, Max understood his place now in this world. If Salem would come for his daughter, his family, he would stand in sheer defiance. Until the day came when there would be nothing left for her to throw at him, he would become a wall. He was already considering how to retaliate whenever the chance came as this was now personal. He had no doubt that someone would be mad right now at the denial of an asset such as the full powers of the fall maiden. One advantage he understood at this moment was that they would have no idea where the power went. But he balanced that with the fact that if Salem were as clever as Ozpin led him to believe, a major suspect would already be his daughter. Things were coming to a head now and it was only going to get worse from here.

-ONE MONTH LATER-

Max had been getting vibes about the right time to propose to Glynda as the right time still hadn't presented itself yet. All this time and he was still no closer to that moment. That being said, Glynda wasn't exactly in a rush. The road warrior suspected that his soon to be fiancé had an inkling of what he was planning to do. It was difficult for him to pick up on though, she had been very subtle and Max had to give her credit on that. The two of them spent their free afternoons together with each other while Bruz and Dinki-di kept a close eye on Anya. The little faunus girl though was starting to slowly discover what she had been gifted with. It made headaches for the older dingo faunus when somethings would mysteriously burst into flames whenever Anya would have even a slight temper tantrum. But of course, he knew enough not to ask about this. One Friday afternoon though Bruz would receive an unexpected visit from an old friend. As he sat on a bench watching Anya and Daniel play in a sandbox that had been set up on the schoolgrounds Bruz felt his hair stand on end as an ugly little hunchback shuffled towards him.

"It would seem you need my guidance again my fellow acolyte." Chum said happily as he hobbled over to Bruz's side.

"Wah! Chum don't spook me like that mate!" Bruz jumped slightly and dropped his voice to a whisper. No one but him could see the hunchback's ghost, but he didn't to draw attention himself but talking out loud to a ghost.

"It would seem the little angel has received the sacred catalyst to unlock her full potential! Praise be to the sacramental piston!" Chum-bucket raved with joy as he watched the little girl [play in the sandbox with her friend.

"So that's why she's been so uppity lately." Bruz said with a satisfied look on his face.

"Yes, the holy powers she has been gifted with are beginning to reveal themselves my fellow acolyte. Oh, what joy!" Chum rejoiced excitedly.

"I'm guessing that isn't all you came to tell me, right?" Bruz raised an eyebrow as he crossed his arms.

"Oh yes there is so much to tell, dark forces are closing in alright. But fear not, the angel and the shaman are gonna bring you some help." Chum remembered his other reason for coming to see the manic dingo mechanic.

"What kind of 'help'?" Bruz asked with a look of skepticism.

"I-I can't say for sure." Chum stuttered briefly.

"Then why tell me?" Bruz hissed.

"I was not finished! An orange striped demon the saint faced once, he's a wily one alright. But the angel may summon a disciple of war who may aid you! He is also a warrior whom has slain many infidels is his day. He was once a seeker of things, an agent of recovery or 'freelancer' of some sort. There may even be more who will join this great crusade! One thing I do know, is that there is one here already who the demon once depended on. I do not know his name though, but I can say if he reveals himself then he will be all the more helpful in defeating the dark queen's minions and her fiery temptress." Chum told Bruz of the incoming reinforcements that would arrive sometime in the future due in no small part to the aid of divine intervention.

"Thanks for the head's up then chum! I'll be on the lookout mate! Oh, wait show me the opus drawings again I want to get my black fingers to work on that beauty!" Bruz grinned with this knowledge in hand and quickly asked his otherworldly guide for another vision of the mighty war chariot.

"Of course, anything to help you and the holy saint in your sacred quests and protecting the little angel from those who would seek to bring her harm." Chumbucket said as he gave the vision to Bruz on building the magnum opus.

"Alright chum, I'll see ya later on down the road then." Bruz grinned and gave Chumbucket a two-finger salute as he vanished.

"Farewell my fellow acolyte!" Chum said as he disappeared.

'Oh, damn it, I forgot to ask him about what he meant by a catalyst. Well I suppose that angel power Anya's got that he told me about must have taken something special to trigger it.' Bruz cursed to himself as he pondered the nature and full extent of Anya's abilities. He shook his head though at the idea since he'd been unaware of recent events since he'd been busy keeping up with his schoolwork for the time being. But he knew when the first chance came that he'd get, the construction of the opus would begin. The mighty machine filled his thoughts as he fantasized about it in his head. Anya briefly looked at him with her tilted in curiosity as it appeared that her big brother was off in his own little world. The little girl shrugged her shoulders and went back to playing with her fellow ankle biter. Glynda watched with a warm smile as stood a short distance away with a clipboard in her hand. Max walked up behind her and briefly flashed a quick grin before returning to his usual stoic visage. Glynda had noticed his presence and she couldn't help but feel warm inside at the moment. It just seemed right, like it was all a pleasant dream in spite of the insanity that had been happening recently. She felt a sense of motherly pride well up within her at that moment and looked over to the man she planned on eventually calling her husband.

'He had better not keep me waiting so long, otherwise I may have to drag it out of him.' She thought to herself with annoyance as she was getting impatient for Max to pop the question to her. But she let that go in favor of enjoying the moment before her. Max felt like it was too perfect though, he knew evil was lurking somewhere out there.

-SALEM'S LAIR-

"Hah, you didn't get the powers after all your high and mighty talk little miss matchstick!" Felix mocked the girl with burning eyes on her failure as she had come back empty handed and no extra power came to her even though she sure the fall maiden should be dead by now.

"Do you have a death-wish? If so I will kindly grant you an express ticket to oblivion." Cinder replied with ire in her voice.

"Last I checked, you nearly had your ass handed to you Cindy. That guy I fought would've mopped the floor with you. I almost killed him too, and I didn't need help to do it! SO keep on threatening me, I'll be happy to give you a nice shallow grave to spend eternity in. You don't scare me." Felix boasted on his own near success against the road warrior with only his basic abilities as a tough SOB.

"Is that right?" Salem asked nonchalantly as she walked into the room where Felix and Cinder were talking.

"Well hey Salem, just giving Cindy here a little pep talk." Felix patted the fiery girl on her head which infuriated her to no foreseeable end.

"It will have to wait Felix, I want you to look into something for me." The dark queen said calmly.

"Sure, no problem. What do you need me to do?" Felix said with a false act of obedience. Inside, he was seething with hatred towards the dark queen that commanded him.

"I want you to find the children of this road warrior that Cinder mentioned." Salem said expectantly.

"Can't Tyrian do that?" Felix groaned lazily.

"Are you questioning my orders?" Salem said coldly. The way she uttered those words was enough to make even a hardened killer like himself freeze with fear.

"N-no, just considering alternatives, you don't need me to kill kids, I do better with their parents." Felix covered his ass with a nice yes man save, which he hated.

"He's busy with another matter, so I expect you to handle this accordingly." Salem waved him off dismissively and the mercenary just silently breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yes." The mercenary said indifferently. 'Grr why I ought to-!'

"I am the queen of the Grimm, Felix. I can sense your anger." Salem said with a hint of distaste for his underlying disobedience.

"I know that, and I'm not objecting to what you want me to do. Besides, revenge is a dish I love to give out." Felix replied coolly with a visage of false courage in the face of death.

"Good, that is why you are so useful. Perhaps when you are finished, you can assist Tyrian in his efforts." Salem decided to entice him with a possible reward.

"With what?" Felix asked incredulously.

"I won't spoil the surprise Felix, now go." Salem said calmly and dismissed her hired help. The disgruntled mercenary walked away and flipped off Cinder who scowled at him.

-BEACON-

A chill ran down Max's spine at that moment causing him to shudder slightly. He frowned and crossed his arms in deep thought to ponder what had caused it. He was shaken from his thoughts by Glynda who bore a look of concern.

"What's wrong Max?" Glynda asked as her eyes seemed to try piercing Max's own.

"It's nothing." Max replied.

"More like something, I know you better than that. Don't make me wait." Glynda put her free hand on her hip.

"*sigh* My instincts." Max answered.

"Oh?" Glynda raised an eyebrow.

"Something is out there Glynda, and I want to keep you and Anya safe, that's it." Max answered as well as he could.

"I'm touched but whatever it is, we can handle it, together." Glynda replied with a blush but got serious again. The two of them looked each other in the eyes and Glynda kissed Max again, leaving the man stunned once again. He put his arms around her and grabbed her ass in a moment of weakness to his 'other' instincts. She backed off and wagged her finger, despite panting slightly with enjoyment. Max rolled his eyes, and she grew a tick mark on her forehead before sending him flying with her riding crop. The veteran fighter groaned as he picked himself up from the ground to catch the swaying of Glynda's hips as she walked away. He shrugged it off and went to the garage to perform a tune up on the interceptor. He left Bruz to continue watching his sister and walked away to take care of his business as usual. All the while he pondered the feeling again, like something was nagging at him pertaining to Raven. That was strange though, since he hadn't seen her in quite some time.

-Xiao-long residence-

"Well it's official sis, I'm getting in to Beacon in a few months!" Yang said cheerily.

"Great yang, and when you see 'you know who' be nice." Ruby nagged to her big sister.

"Oh sure, I'll be nice (not)." Yang said as the view faded to black.

-END VOLUME 1-


	32. Author's Note

AUTHOR'S NOTE

People, please check out season 2. I've finally put up the first episode for your reading pleasure. There's some big stuff coming in the second season that's bound to happen. Don't miss out on the second instalment of Mad Max: Road to Salvation! Things will get kamikrazze pretty soon and I'm writing this so everybody knows the story isn't dead, in fact it's very much alive and kicking. So yeah go catch the first episode FULL THROTTLE PT.1!


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